Despite many warnings of not leaving young children alone at home, even for a short while, such incidents still continue to occur, causing devastating outcomes.
A recent home accident in Changzhou City in Eastern China has left Yang Yang (not his real name), a 3-year-old boy in critical condition after an accidental fall from the 29th floor earlier this month.
He was, however, lucky to have miraculously survived even after plunging from such a tremendous height—of nearly 90 metres—according to local reports.
3-year-old Left Alone at Home, Falls from 29th floor Kitchen Window
Yang Yang was placed in his grandmother's care on 8 June by his migrant worker parents as they had to work.
According to China News, Yang Yang's family is based in Henan but works in Changzhou City.
On the afternoon of 8 June, Yang Yang was left to watch television alone at home while his grandmother went out to run some errands, his father Mr Zhou said in an interview.
After returning home in less than 10 minutes, Yang Yang's grandmother found that he went missing.
She also noticed that the kitchen window that was closed previously was now open.
There was a stool underneath the kitchen window, which likely assisted Yang Yang to climb out of the window, according to Zhou.
Condition Could Have Turned Fatal
After realising what had happened, Yang Yang's grandmother went to search for her grandson immediately.
Yang Yang was said to be found in the flowerbed underneath the building in their residential compound. If not for the trees outside the building which broke his fall, Yang Yang could have died.
His grandmother "collapsed and started to yell and cry" when she saw the plight Yang Yang was in, said Zhou while in tears.
Yang Yang was rushed to Changzhou Children's Hospital for emergency treatment.
3-year-old Miraculously Survives
According to Dr Zou Guojin, Director of the Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Yang Yang was in a critical condition when he arrived at the hospital.
Apart from the visible head and face bleeding and swelling, he also suffered from shock and had respiratory failure.
Further examinations revealed severe injuries around his body, including deep cuts in his lungs, contusions in both kidneys, broken and fractured ribs, a concussion and bleeding in his digestive tract, among others.
He was placed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for more than a week while around 10 experts from various departments of the hospital fought to save him.
Their efforts finally paid off and Yang Yang is now in stable condition and recovering.
Doctor Warns of Accidents Involving Children Falling From Height
Falling from height is said to be one of the leading accidental deaths in children, according to Dr Zou.
The statistics of the World Report on Prevention of Child Injuries states that more than 80% of children aged 1 to 4 years have fallen off buildings from the window or balcony.
Dr Zou seeks to remind parents of the importance of preventing children from falling from a height as young children lack the ability to judge and prevent danger.
Here are some important pointers for parents with children at home:
- Never leave children alone at home
- Child-proof—install appropriate protective barriers on the windows or balconies
- Educate children not to imitate dangerous movements
- In the unlikely event of a child falling accident:
- Parents should dial the emergency number first (for Singapore, please call 995).
- Be mindful not to move or shake the child in a hurry.
- First, observe the child for any obvious injuries (e.g. wounds or bleeding).
- In case of active bleeding, apply pressure or bandage to stop the bleeding.
- If you need to move your child, pay attention to protect your spine, especially the cervical spine to avoid secondary damage to your child.
Feat image via China News/Qian Qunhua, iStock
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