On July 1, a child died after falling from the third floor of his building in Sablé-sur-Sarthe.
- In the city center of Sablé-sur-Sarthe, a three-year-old child did not survive his injuries after falling from the top floor of his building.
- The defenestrations, which often occur in spring and summer, particularly affect children under 6 years old and mainly boys.
- In more than half of the cases, a piece of furniture was under the window, and four times out of five, an adult was present in the dwelling at the time of the accident.
Every year, several children die or are seriously injured by falling from a window or a balcony. This recently happened in the center of Sablé-sur-Sarthe. On July 1, a three-year-old child died after falling from the third and top floor of his apartment building, according to West France. The young patient, who was in critical condition, was transported to the Le Mans hospital center. Unfortunately, he did not survive his injuries. According to investigators, the boy escaped his mother’s vigilance and fell.
Defenestrations: more numerous in spring and summer
This is not the first time that accidental falls from great heights, more commonly known as “defenestrations”, have been reported. According to the prefect of Indre-et-Loire, they cause about 250 victims per year. These crashes “mainly concern children under 6 years old (62%), mainly boys (70%). In half of the cases, the fall took place while the opening had a protection, which was therefore ineffective “Similarly, four times out of five, an adult was present in the dwelling at the time of the fall. A piece of furniture was under the opening in more than half of the cases”, can we read on the site of the prefect of the Var. Investigation carried out in 2013, by Public Health France in collaboration with the Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, reports that defenestrations mainly take place during meal preparation hours in spring and summer.
How to prevent accidental falls of children?
To prevent the risk of defenestration, it is recommended never to leave a child alone or under the responsibility of another child or teenager near an open window or on a balcony. Another recommendation: it is strongly discouraged to leave furniture or objects under a window, because children can use them to access the opening. “Latches, lockable handles, door guards, barriers that act as guardrails… are not enough and never replace the vigilance of an adult”. If you witness an accidental fall, you must immediately call the emergency services (18 or 112) and protect the area to avoid other accidents. Firefighters advise to move the patient if the risk of secondary accident is high. “If the victim is hemorrhaging, perform manual compression.”
