Deaths of 2 B.C. children prompt window safety warning for parents
As the weather heats up, health officials are warning parents about the dangers of open windows and balconies at home.
“Many children can climb before they can even walk,” says Dr. Ash Singhal, a pediatric neurosurgeon at B.C. Children’s Hospital.
Every summer, Singhal says, he treats a number of kids who’ve fallen from windows or balconies. This year, eight children have ended up at B.C. Children’s Hospital, and not all have survived.
“Sadly, I took care of two children who died from their injuries after falls,” says Singhal.
Last year, 14 children aged 16 and younger were treated at BC Children’s Emergency Department for falls from windows and balconies, according to the Provincial Health Services Authority. Eleven of those occurred during the summer months.
This week, a 14-month-old boy escaped serious injury after falling out of a second-storey window in Burnaby.
“It’s a high-stress call for us,” says Joanna Stefani, a B.C. Emergency Health Services paramedic. “Nobody wants to see a child injured.”
Ahead of the extremely high temperatures forecasted for the weekend, officials with B.C. Children’s Hospital and B.C. EHS are reminding parents and guardians of toddlers and young children that falls can be prevented with some simple tips. Furniture and anything that kids can climb should be kept away from windows and balcony railings.
Additionally, officials say bug screens should not be considered a safety measure because they’re often flimsy and easily dislodged.
Instead, for windows that swing outwards, safety latches should be installed to stop them from opening too wide.
“They’re available in virtually every hardware store in the province,” says Singhal. “It’s rare a latch would cost more than 10 to 20 dollars.”
Screw-on locks are a suitable option for sliding windows, safety experts say. They can be installed on most windows within seconds to allow for airflow while preventing a deadly fall.
“If a window can open more than 10 centimetres, a child’s head can get through it. If a child’s head can get through a window, so can their body,” says Singhal. He adds that because toddlers carry a larger proportion of weight in their heads, they often land head first, which can cause severe, long-lasting trauma.
If your child has fallen more than 1.5 metres and is unconscious or vomiting, it could be a sign of a head injury, according to the PHSA. Most head trauma requires immediate medical attention, says the health service provider, so it’s crucial 911 is called in a timely manner.
“Wait for EHS to arrive and we can assist with patient care and transfer,” says Stefani.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.