Police in Dorset are reminding parents and guardians to
carefully consider their children’s safety when leaving windows
open during the summer months – with two recent incidents
highlighting the potential dangers.
In the last two months, Dorset Police has received two reports
of children falling from open first floor windows.
The latest incident took place in Portland during the early
hours of Sunday, 11 July 2010, when a 14-month-old boy fell from a
window onto concrete below.
The boy sustained a fractured skull and was treated at
Southampton hospital. His condition was not life threatening.
The first incident took place in the Charminster area of
Bournemouth on Monday, 10 May 2010, after an 18-month-old boy fell
onto a pavement.
He sustained bruising, but no major injuries and was treated at
Poole Hospital.
Detective Inspector Mark Samuel, of Dorset Police’s child
protection unit, said: "It’s only natural that people will open
more windows during the warmer weather, but I would urge parents to
check that such windows aren’t accessible to young children.
"It’s important to check that children can't reach open windows
by climbing on other furniture and that accessible windows don’t
open wide enough for a child to fit through.
"The two recent incidents show just how easy it is for accidents
to happen and I would hate for other families to endure similar
distress."