The family of a B.C. toddler who survived falling from a window over the weekend said they believe bushes and a garden hose may have broken the boy's fall.
The two-year-old from Abbotsford pushed through a screen in a second-storey window of his Chehalis Drive home on Sunday afternoon, and fell to the concrete below.
Paramedics were called and the boy was taken to hospital for examination and treatment, but he was back home without a scratch or a bruise on Monday.
"He's very fortunate he didn't sustain more serious injuries," Abbotsford police Const. Marcus Dyck said at the time.
The boy's father didn't want to speak publicly the day after the incident, but let CTV News take a look at the home.
The windows were equipped with safety latches that keep them from opening all the way, something the father said they never do, even on warm days, because the home is air conditioned.
But on Sunday, someone burned something in the kitchen, and the latches were lifted to help clear the air.
That's when the toddler leaned against the screen and fell through.
Accidents like the boy's are more common in warmer months, experts say.
"Last summer between about May and September we saw 15 cases of children who fell out of a window or fell off a balcony then dropped quite a height," Dr. Ash Singhal said.
"That was about double what we've seen in previous years."
It doesn't require much force for a screen to pop out, the BC Children's Hospital doctor said.
Parents' best defences are to keep a close eye on kids and keep furniture away from windows to prevent climbing. Safety devices like those at the home on Chehalis Drive are a good idea in homes with small children, and there are special safety screens that can be purchased and installed but are rarely built in to homes and apartments.
The boy's father said he plans to add sensors that will send out an alert if the windows are open. The family is thankful that the situation wasn't worse.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Maria Weisgarber
