Infant Falls 28 Floors To Death
Posted June 3, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
An 18-month-old boy died Sunday after falling 28 floors from an apartment building near Victoria Park and Danforth. Police said they got a call just before noon from 7 Crescent Place that the child had fallen. When they arrived at the scene the boy had no vital signs and was rushed to Toronto East General Hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
It’s believed the infant broke through a bathroom window screen after his parents gave him a bath. He was the only child of a couple that’s been living in the building for two years.
“She told me it was from 28 floors and I got shocked,” admitted Sanober Shafi, a friend of the boy’s mother. “She was just biting her hand with her teeth because she could not take this pain.”
This is the fifth time in less than a month that a similar incident has taken place in the GTA. Earlier in May, three-year-old twins were lucky to survive after plunging from a second-floor window at Jane and Steeles.
But others haven’t always been so fortunate. In 2004, a six-year-old died after plummeting from a seventh floor window in Mississauga and at least 25 children have been injured or killed in similar falls since 1999. Experts say this is the time of year when most of the accidents happen, since the warmer weather prompts many to leave windows open. Emergency workers suggest Sunday’s horrific incident provides a timely reminder for parents.
“As children move as quickly as they do they should ensure that there’s some type of barrier,” said Toronto EMS worker Leo Tsang. “You have to be cognizant of the fact that kids are curious and unfortunately tragic events like this may happen.”
