Toddler survives 17ft fall from Cork refuge window
It is understood the 20-month-old boy had been sleeping in a bunk bed. The child’s mother entered the room at 9.30am yesterday morning just as the accident occurred.
According to gardaí, the toddler fell up to 17 feet before landing on a soft embankment, narrowly avoiding the adjacent concrete footpath and nearby railings.
The accident occurred at Edel House in Grattan St, a women’s refuge run by the Good Shepherd Sisters. A statement from Edel House manager Marie Watson and the board of management confirmed the child had fallen out of the window. “Thankfully, as far as we know, the child has not been critically injured. Gardaí are investigating the incident as well as ourselves,” Ms Watson said.
Superintendent Barry McPolin said they were liaising with management at Edel House over the circumstances of the accident.
“At this stage, we can’t say conclusively what caused the fall, but it appears that there was nothing untoward about it,” Supt McPolin said. He said the child was extremely fortunate to have emerged “relatively unscathed” given he had fallen from a considerable height.
“Miraculously, he didn’t appear to have suffered any serious or long-term injuries. He had cuts to his forehead and was taken to Cork University Hospital (CUH) for a period of observation,” Supt McPolin said.
A spokesperson for CUH yesterday described the child’s condition as stable.
