If you live in a high-rise building, you’re well aware of the safety measures you need to teach your child — staying away from open windows and balconies, for instance. But did you know that there are unexpected dangers you should also warn them about?
Aside from measures to ensure their safety, mums and dads should also teach their children about the high-rise safety to ensure other people’s safety, too.
Falling apple injures baby, fractures skull, and puts her in a coma
One Chinese father learned this the hard way when his 11-year-old daughter reportedly threw an apple out of their 24th floor home’s window.
Little did the child know that below their home, there was a three-month-old baby girl in the arms of her grandmother, who was simply heading home after a walk on 9 March at around four in the afternoon.
The falling apple struck the baby on her head, fracturing her skull, and causing serious brain damage. Upon impact, the child’s head swelled up; she then became pale. Shortly after, she fell unconscious and has not woken up since.
As of this writing, the baby has had two operations. Her condition is still unstable, reports The Straits Times.
Apple injures baby severely as she was in the arms of her grandmother | Screenshots: Sohu video
According to China Daily, the young girl was home alone in their flat when the freak accident occurred. She was apparently trying to throw the piece of fruit to her pet dog on the balcony, but she overestimated the distance.
According to Shanghai List, the 11-year-old girl’s dad will shoulder all the hospital expenses, which have so far amounted to 130,00 yuan (S$27,000).
What mums and dads should teach kids about high-rise safety and responsibility
While this freak accident that happened in China might have been unavoidable, there are ways parents can teach kids to be safe while living in a high-rise flat.
Apple injures baby. Can accidents like this be avoided by high-rise safety? | Screenshot: Sohu video
Here’s where to start:
- Do not litter or throw anything out the window, no matter how small. Not only does throwing around rubbish make for an unsightly home, it can also be dangerous. Take, for instance, the Malaysian teen who was killed by a falling office chair. Or the tragic case mentioned above. None of us would ever expect that a little fruit could cause so much damage. But even a tiny thing gathers velocity as it falls from high, converting it into a deadly object.
- Make the balcony a no-kid zone. Unless they are with mummy and daddy, tell kids they cannot go on the balcony. In fact, kids that are small enough to fit through grilles and railings should not be allowed on the balcony at all.
- Install safety grilles on your windows. Not only does childproofing your window protect from falls, it can protect passersby from falling objects.
- Do not hang clothes on your window. Even clotheslines and hangers can be dangerous. If you don’t have any choice but to dry clothes by your window, make sure to secure them.
- Make sure your neighbours do the same. Rally your neighbours or your building’s administration to take steps to make your high-rise safer for residents and passersby.
Even the smallest of changes could save a life.
Sources: The Straits Times, China Daily, Medium: Shanghai List
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