A 22-month-old boy has serious injuries after falling from a second-story window of a home near Martha Lake this morning.

It happened about 9:30 a.m. in the 800 block of 149th Street SW east of Lynnwood. The toddler fell about 14 feet and landed on a concrete patio. Medics rushed him to Harborview Medical Center.

“There had been a screen on the window, but the child apparently pushed up against it. Screens are designed to keep bugs out, and can’t support the weight of even a small child,” said Leslie Hynes, spokesperson for Snohomish County Fire District 1.

She said this is the second window fall involving a toddler that District 1 firefighters have responded to this summer. “We urge parents of young children to exercise caution when the weather is warm and windows are open,” Hynes said.

Fire District 1 offers these safety tips:

• Adult supervision is key. Unattended children run the greatest risk of falls and injuries, so the best first step is to watch children as they play.
• Do not depend on window screens to prevent children from falling. Screens can easily give way under a child’s weight.
• Keep furniture that children can climb on away from windows.
• Consider installing window guards. Be sure that these guards meet new federal standards for escape in the event of a fire. Window guards can be found at hardware stores and at Toys-R-Us and Babies-R-US.

[mappress]