Toddler dies after balcony fall

The death of a year-old toddler in a fall from a Queensland apartment has prompted a
warning from Kidsafe that balconies are as potentially deadly for small children as
backyard pools.
The youngster fell more than seven metres from an apartment block at Alexandra
Headlands on the Sunshine Coast on Thursday.
An emergency crew worked frantically to save him, but he died later that night in
Brisbane's Royal Children's Hospital.
Dr Mark Stokes, national president of child accident prevention group Kidsafe, said
that because of an upsurge in apartment development across the country, hundreds of
thousands of small balconies were literally potential death traps for young
children.
"Most of these small balconies usually have a combination of table and chairs, which
if left against the safety railing can act as a simple set of steps for toddlers,"
Dr Stokes said.
"A toddler can easily climb onto a chair and then onto the top of the table, placing
them in a very dangerous situation.
"They are top heavy, have no understanding of the danger of heights and there is no
barrier to stop them falling."
He said apartment dwellers without children must be aware of the potential danger
when visitors arrive with young children.
"A number of deaths and serious injuries have occurred in the past 12 months with
children falling from apartment balconies and open windows," Dr Stokes said.
"Kidsafe is urging all people living in apartments with tables and chairs to
implement their own safety plan by keeping the table and chair combination away from
their balustrades and treat the balcony the same as a backyard swimming pool by not
letting children on the balcony without supervision."



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