As the Puget Sound region settles into the summer months, more children are accidentally falling out of open windows. Dr. Brian Johnson, chief of Pediatrics at Harborview Medical Center, said the area is in the “throes of window fall season.
” The lack of air conditioning in homes in the region paired with warmer weather leads to more open windows, increasing the risk of children falling out of them. In Snohomish County, 14 children have fallen out of windows so far this year, nearly doubling its annual average of eight incidents, a news release from South County Fire states. Shawneri Guzman, South County Fire community outreach manager and coordinator for Safe Kids Snohomish County, cited new construction homes as contributing to the increase in falls.
“We are seeing more severe injuries than in previous years as many falls are happening in new construction, single-family homes or townhomes where the bedrooms are located on the third story,” Guzman said in the release. South County Fire did not provide data on the reported correlation between new construction homes and an increase in child window falls. Johnson said Harborview treats about 50 children who’ve fallen out of windows annually.
He said the number of fall patients has remained consistent over the last 20 years. “These events happen most commonly to 2-3 year old children. And because toddlers are ‘top heavy’ they tend to fall headfirst,” Johnson said in an email.
“The most common injuries we see .
