A four-year-old boy who was left unattended is clinging to life after falling from an apartment window. The toddler plunged 18 stories after crawling on top of a couch while no one was watching. Following a lengthy battle by doctors to insure the boy would survive the fall, the effort to treat his various injuries continues.
The unidentified toddler was staying in his grandmother’s apartment in Hubei, China. The Daily Mail reports that the boy lived with her because his parents live and work in another city.
Images: Pear Video
On August 6 at around 10 am, the boy’s grandmother went out to buy groceries, leaving him unattended. During that time, the boy allegedly climbed up onto a sofa and fell through a nearby window, plummeting 18 stories.
Shortly after, the boy’s parents received a frantic phone call from the grandmother informing them of the accident.
“My mother was in shock at the time,” the boy’s father said, according to the Mail. “Kind-hearted onlookers helped call for an ambulance.”
Rushing to the hospital to see their son, they found him in critical condition. The boy reportedly arrived at the hospital in hemorrhagic shock. He also had fractures, lacerations, contusions, and hemorrhages throughout his body, reported local news. Medics theorized that trees near the apartment helped break the boy’s fall, allowing him to survive.
“It was already a miracle that he could be taken to hospital for treatment after falling 18 stories,” Dr. Chen Xi of the hospital’s pediatric unit said. “We had never come across a situation like this before.”
A heroic effort by doctors, nurses and surgeons to stabilize the toddler’s condition followed. According to the hospital, physicians stayed awake for 36 hours working to maintain his vitals, while nurses were on duty 24 hours a day.
After 3 days of tireless effort, the boy’s vitals stabilized. A week after the accident, doctors moved him from the intensive care unit. The boy is reportedly continuing treatment in the facility, including further non-emergency surgeries.
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Daily Mail
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