A young girl was taken to hospital in critical condition after falling from an 11th-floor balcony at a highrise apartment building on Alta Vista Drive on Saturday, July 4.
Few details were immediately available, but the Ottawa Paramedic Service took two calls about the incident at 11:22 a.m., a paramedic spokesperson said.
After arriving at the scene in the 1500 block of Alta Vista, paramedics found the girl on the ground beside the building.
This was at least the third serious incident in recent months that involved a child falling from a building in Ottawa.
A boy under the age of eight died after a fall from the window of a Laurier Avenue East apartment tower in late April.
In early June, a child was taken to the hospital with critical injuries after falling from a fourth-floor balcony of a residential building near Abbott Street in Stittsville.
After that incident, the Ottawa police issued an advisory stating they had responded to three incidents involving young children falling from highrise buildings in the past month.
“These events are devastating and highlight how quickly and unexpectedly falls can occur,” the statement said.
Safety measures suggested by police at that time included:
- Install and use child-proof window locks or window guards where appropriate.
- Do not rely on window screens to prevent falls, as they are designed only to keep insects out.
- Keep furniture, beds, and other items that can be climbed away from windows and balcony railings.
- Limit children’s access to balconies unless they’re being directly supervised by a responsible adult.
- Regularly check that windows, doors, locks, and safety devices function properly.
— With files from Abyssinia Abebe
Our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed.
