New Study: Thousands Of Children Injured Each Year In Preventable Falls From Windows

We've all heard about young children who may crawl up on a window sill or lean against a screen - and fall out of the window.  A new study confirms now it happens all to frequently, and often results in injuries, sometimes in death.  What can you do to ensure it doesn't happen to your kids? 

Tumbles from open windows send more than five-thousand children to the emergency room each year.  Research done by Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio  finds falls out windows are responsible for serious injuries and even death every year.  The study found nearly two-thousand-children died from such falls between 1990-2008. 

U.S. News Health  reports on the nearly 20-year study, which also found the younger the child, the more likely the fall would be lethal.  Children under five are three times more likely to die from head injuries suffered during a fall from a window than children between the ages of 5 and 17  years old. 

The study also found falls are not confined to city living, it happens just as often in the suburbs.  And most often, (93-percent of the time) the falls are from one or two story windows. 

The information is not riveting, but researchers say they've focused on the subject because such injuries are preventable.  So what can you do?  Installing  guards and moving furniture away from windows will help prevent injuries in younger children who may be exploring.  Older children should be educated about risky behavior that can result in falls.