More Kids Fall out of Windows Each Year than You'd Think

As the saying goes, "kids will be kids." Which means that scrapped elbows and knees, stitches from falling off a bicycle or running full-speed into a doorway and a lost tooth or two from doing battle with your siblings is all just part of growing up. It is inevitable that children will be injured at some point during their formative years. But often times these injuries can be prevented.

For example, one of the most common and preventable child injuries involves children falling from windows. According to medical records, more than 5,000 children end up in hospital emergency rooms each year after taking a tumble out of a window.

A recent study conducted by the Center for Injury Research at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, took a look at medical records from 1990 to 2008. During the 19-year span, over 98,000 patients under the age of 18 were treated at hospitals for injuries resulted from falls out of windows. Two thirds of those patients were toddlers, who most often had soft tissue damage to the face or brain and head trauma. Most often, these children fell from second-story windows.

Curious by nature, young children often press against window screens, not realizing that as they lean over their high center of gravity will cause them to topple over the end of the window, said Dr. Gary Smith, head of the Center's research project. "They almost invariably land head-first," he noted.

Dr. Smith also said, "We continue to see this problem, especially in younger kids, despite the fact that we know how to prevent it." Parents need to understand that the average window screen will not prevent a child from falling out of the window. The study outlines several tips to prevent window falls from happening, including installing window guards on windows above the first story and using window stops.

Source: Falling from Windows: A Common and Preventable Child Injury