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Maple Ridge toddler dies after falling from window

The boy was flown to hospital with serious injuries, but has since passed away.
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The boy fell out the second storey window of a home on 201st Street in Maple Ridge on Friday.


A two-year-old boy who fell from the second floor window of a house in Maple Ridge on Friday has died.

The toddler was at his home on 201st Street when he pushed through a screened window, falling onto a concrete driveway in front of the garage around 4:30 p.m.

Fire chief Dane Spence said the boy was rushed to Westview secondary, where an air ambulance was waiting.

The boy was flown to hospital with serious injuries, but has since passed away.

The B.C. Coroner's Service confirmed they are investigating his death.

"We don't have much to say about it at this point because the investigation is in its preliminary stages," said B.C. Coroners Service spokesperson Barb McLinktock.

"We will be investigating and producing a report with findings at the end."

There have been three similar incidents in Metro Vancouver this year, but all the other children recovered from their injuries.

Last summer, four children were injured after tumbling out of windows in Metro Vancouver, including a boy in Maple Ridge. A young girl from New Westminster died.

Police and fire officials are asking parents to make sure windows can't be accessed by toddlers.

"It's the time of year when windows in houses are going to be open. Please be mindful of things a toddler can climb on or that pose a danger," said Spence.

Parachute, a national, charitable organization that brings attention to injury prevention, urges parents and caregivers to install window safety devices to prevent serious injuries.

“Window screens will not protect your child. In fact, a window screen can easily give way to the weight of a small child,” says Parachute Canada. “Toddlers are great climbers and love to look out windows, but don’t understand the risks of falling. But there are things you can do to help keep children safe.”

 

– with files

To prevent injuries, Parachute recommends:

• Install a safety device, such as a window guard or window stop.

Window guards act as a barrier in front of an open window, preventing a child from falling out. Window stops are small devices that prevent a window from opening more that 10 centimetres (four inches), so that a child cannot fall out. Both safety devices can be found at hardware and specialty safety stores.

• Keep all furniture away from windows to prevent children from climbing up and falling.

• If you have a balcony, take steps to prevent your child from accessing it. Make sure that chairs and other objects that a child can climb on are kept away from the railing, keep the balcony doors locked and always supervise a young child on a balcony.

For more information on window and child safety, visit Parachute Canada.

 

CORRECTION:

A previous version of this story attributed the safety tips to Safe Kids Canada. Safe Kids Canada is now part of Parachute, a national, charitable organization, formed in July 2012, which unites the former organizations of Safe Communities Canada, Safe Kids Canada, SMARTRISK and ThinkFirst Canada.