Window Falls Injure 5,000 Kids Annually; Protect Your Kids From Fatal Accidents

August 23, 2011
3:34 pm

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Window Falls Injure 5,000 Kids Annually; Protect Your Kids From Fatal Accidents

08/22/2011 // WPB, FL, USA // Personal Injury Lawyers News // Nicole Howley

West Palm Beach, FL — A new study revealed that an estimated 98,415 children from 1990 to 2008 were hospitalized for injuries caused by falling from windows—a preventable accident. Falls from windows account for 5,100 injuries in children on average each year in the U.S., reported by WebMD.

According to WebMD, the study, which used information from a nationwide database of children treated in hospital emergency rooms over a 19-year period, found the following information:

• Boys were more likely than girls to fall out of windows and accounted for 58 percent of window fall injuries.

• Falls from windows were more common in spring and summer months.

• One-fourth of the window fall-related injuries required hospitalization.

• Children under 5 years were more likely to suffer serious injuries from a window fall and three times more likely to suffer a head injury.

Falls from windows inflict injuries ranging from minor to serious, like cuts and bruises to fatal traumatic brain injuries. These injuries can easily be prevented by simply moving furniture away from windows, installing locks and planting bushes or plant beds under windows to cushion a fall should a child fall from an open window.

Researchers also noted that window screens are not adequate protection against window falls. Eighty-three percent of reported accidents involving window falls revealed that screens were in place at the time of the accident.