Another sad reminder about why children should never be left alone at home, and the need for more awareness about high rise dangers.
Time and time again, we bring you stories of children involved in high-rise accidents, with the hope that from these tragedies, awareness is created. Yet sadly, we keep hearing of such incidents. The latest is unbelievably sad and involves the death of a little girl. How can we prevent these accidents? How must we make balcony safe for toddler and young children?
Little Girl Plays a Deadly Game While Parents Are Away
Parents nowadays have it tough. As they need to earn additional income, they work hard and rarely have time to watch over our kids, let alone talk about their issues on a daily basis. One tragic case in South Korea just shows the deadly consequences of not being around your child.
Recently, a video recording the instance when a six-year-old girl let go of her grip from a high rise tower, has gone viral. Netizens have voiced their concerns and opinions about this little child's accidental "suicide".
This is where the incident occurred. It's clear that the building the girl was residing in was really high.
Her neighbours next door were greeted with this view: a young girl sitting on the edge of the window rails.
Apparently, she stays in the 6th floor of the building, which is 16m above the ground.
People suspect that she was home on her own and bored, leading her to challenge herself in this dangerous way.
The little girl, probably thinking it was all an exciting game, pushes herself outside of the window, believing she could hang on the window railing.
At first, she seems to enjoy the thrill of doing something new and "exciting".
However, a few seconds later, she realises she can't hold up her own body weight from her tiny hands, and attempts to return inside.
Sadly, ascending a flat high rise wall – especially when you're young and still have underdeveloped muscles – is very hard. She struggles mid-air, and, unable to haul herself up to safety, lets go.
The Aftermath
The only witnesses were her neighbours, who recorded the incident. We don't know if they ever took the time to call emergency services to attempt to save this little one.
It is now known the girl did not survive the dreadful fall. In the end, we lost another valuable young life to a completely preventable accident.
Parents, is this acceptable? It only takes one minute of looking away from curious toddlers and young children for tragedy to occur. What's worse is that some accidents are easily preventable, like this one. It pays to always be around and supervise your children.
You can watch the full video below at your discretion.
WARNING: This video contains distressing content.
Tips on How to Make Balconies Safe for Toddlers and Young Children
Here, we list the top eight ways you can child-proof a high-rise residence:
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Install grilles on your windows. Do ensure that these grilles are too narrow for your children to squeeze through (speak to your building's management if they provide grilles that are too wide). Don't forget to also lock any open windows.
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Keep the area around windows and balcony walls clear of any large objects that a child can climb on, like ladders or stools.
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Keep an eye out for objects that when thrown, can break windows, such as heavy toys and marbles.
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Lock the windows and the door to your balcony when you are not around. Always ensure that the windows stay closed before you leave the house.
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Teach your child about the dangers of windows and balconies. Explain to them the dangers and, if they can follow rules, strictly forbid them from going near the windows at all. You can also find educational resources online to teach them.
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NEVER leave your child alone in the house – not even for a short while. Toddlers and young children can do all sorts of things when you're not around.
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Lock the door to your balcony when you're not around, if window grilles aren't a viable option.
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Caution all other caregivers of your child to watch your children at all times. Caregivers spend the most time with your children second to you – always tell them to never let your children near the window or balcony.
Also read:
Your child’s life depends on you: let’s stop high-rise building deaths now
Toddler falls from building: dangers of leaving kids in locked rooms
High-rise safety: Little girl found hanging by head from 4th-floor balcony
5-year-old boy clings for life from 19th floor balcony, showing need for high-rise safety awareness