A two-year-old South Surrey boy is expected to make a full recovery after falling through a third-storey townhouse window Monday evening.
The boy – who was airlifted to BC Children's Hospital from Rosemary Heights Elementary – sustained a broken nose after landing on a concrete area in front of the townhouse, located in the 15200-block of 34 Avenue in South Surrey.
Surrey RCMP Cpl. Drew Grainger said the boy is still being held for observation, but is expected to fully recover.
"It's absolutely amazing," he said. "This is a very unfortunate accident that could've been a lot more worse given the scope of the distance of the fall, and it truly is a miracle that this child has survived with as little injury as he has."
Grainger said the boy had been playing with a sibling in a bedroom on the third storey of the family residence, when he got close to an open, screened window and fell through.
Police attended just after 8 p.m. Aug. 8 to assist paramedics.
Officers did a thorough investigation and concluded there is "no criminality behind this at all," Grainger said, noting the screen was typical of what would be found in most homes.
"Parents need to be reminded that screened windows, it provides an illusion of security, but it's not secure, especially with young children playing up against them," he said. "They're easily pushed out and can have catastrophic results."
RCMP are reminding parents to secure open windows with a device that will not allow children to fit through and to keep furniture that could be climbed on away from open windows, Grainger said.
"And, if at all possible, just have your child – if he or she is going to be unattended – play in an area that is not elevated to minimize those types of risks."