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Child, 3, survives fall from 3rd-floor window with no major injuries

Abbotsford Police Department spokesperson says toddler lucky to be alive after fall of that height
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(Abbotsford Police Department/Facebook)

An Abbotsford toddler is lucky to be alive with no significant injuries after falling from a third-storey window on Monday.

Abbotsford Police Department spokesperson Judy Bird said the father was with the three-year-old, and the two had been playing nearby. But a witness told police that the toddler was waving out the window at other children as they came home, and the window’s screen popped out of place, giving way for the child to fall out the window.

“(His) parents were completely devastated,” Bird said. “The witness heard the screen pop, and then next thing you know, the little (boy) was coming through the window and landed in the flower bed that had been freshly bark mulched below.”

Related: Abbotsford police rescue 4-year-old from 3rd-floor ledge

“Within seconds,” Bird said the parents were with the boy, who may have survived the fall solely due to the freshly mulched flower bed.

The child underwent X-rays and CAT scans, but no significant injuries were found on the young child.

It’s the second incident involving a toddler and a third-storey window within a week. Emergency crews responded to a four-year-old on a narrow, ornamental balcony on the third floor of a building, and who was about to fall last Wednesday (Aug. 8).

Police were able to save that child from a fall with a forced entry of the house. At that time, police put out a pair of tips for window safety for children.

“We are so thankful that this little one was OK, and didn’t sustain any injuries. We acknowledge that he parents were present, which does cause us to remind people that toddlers can get into situations that we totally would not be expecting,” Bird said following the incident this week.

“We remind people, as we are expecting high temperatures again this week, to not allow children to play around windows. We understand that windows are going to be open, but make sure furniture is pulled away from the wall, and we really have to keep an eye on the little ones near windows.”

Police also ask parents to install window stops or guards to control how wide a window can open.

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Dustin Godfrey | Reporter
@dustinrgodfrey
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