Seriously injured

18-month-old child falls out of 1st floor window

The one-and-a-half-year-old boy was transported to hospital by emergency helicopter

(Bild: P. Huber)

Shock in Niederthalheim in Upper Austria! An 18-month-old boy fell out of the window of a detached house in a brief, unobserved moment on Monday morning. The toddler suffered serious injuries in the incident and had to be flown to hospital by rescue helicopter.

The warm summer temperatures on Monday had apparently tempted a mother of two in Niederthalheim to leave a window on the second floor open for ventilation. 

At the time, the woman was in the detached house with her 18-month-old son and an infant. At around 8.40 a.m., the woman was probably distracted for a moment.

The little boy seems to have taken advantage of this unobserved moment to climb over a couch onto the windowsill. There he lost his balance and fell about four meters onto the asphalt. He sustained serious injuries on impact. 

Mother provided first aid
The mother became aware, administered first aid and raised the alarm by calling the emergency services. Rescue workers quickly arrived and took care of the injured child. He was flown to the MedCampus IV of the Kepler University Hospital Linz, where his serious head injuries were treated.

Unfortunately, children fall from windows like this more often. Just two weeks ago, a four-year-old fell from a second-floor window in Weyer (Steyr-Land district). On April 2nd, a five-year-old in Linz, who was completely alone in the apartment on the 4th floor, opened a window. He fell out and died from his serious injuries.