Snohomish County Sees 14th Child Injured in Window Fall

Little boy at home looking trough the window at his friends playing in the yard on the street

As summer begins, the Snohomish County is expected to hit a record number of window falls this year.

South County firefighters responded to a 4-year-old girl seriously injured in a fall from a third story window in Lynnwood over the weekend. This is the 14th reported window fall in Snohomish County this year, including eight falls in the month of June.

Firefighters responded to the incident at a townhome on 40th Ave. W. shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday. The child had fallen through the window screen onto concrete below. Firefighters rushed her to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

“We are seeing more severe injuries than in previous years as many falls are happening in new construction, single-family homes or townhomes where the bedrooms are located on the third story,” said Shawneri Guzman, South County Fire Community Outreach Manager and coordinator for Safe Kids Snohomish County.

As of July 1, Snohomish County is well above its typical average of eight reported window falls per year.

Parents and caregivers of young children are urged to take precautions, including:

• Use window stops or guards that keep windows from opening more than 4 inches.
• Move furniture such as cribs, desks, beds and tables away from windows.
• Plant bushes and flower beds under windows to soften landing surfaces.
• Do not rely on window screens to prevent falls.
• Keep windows closed and locked when not in use.
• Actively supervise children at all times, especially around open windows.

Child safety window stops can be purchased online and at most hardware stores. Window stops prevent a young child from opening a window but are easily removed in case of a fire. Window stops are available free for families who cannot afford them, made possible by grant funding. Visit https://www.southsnofire.org/PreventWindowFalls.

Safe Kids Snohomish County is a local coalition of Safe Kids Worldwide. Their mission is to eliminate accidental death and injury in children. They do this by coordinating with our local partners to provide education and resources. South County Fire serves as the lead agency for this not-for-profit program.