First responders were called out Thursday afternoon afternoon when a pair of children fell from a second-story window in Logan Heights.
Both childen were taken to Rady Children's Hospital after the fall from an apartment building near the intersection of Bancroft Street and Ocean View Boulevard. A fire department spokeswoman said they were believed to have suffered acute injuries.
Around 6:30 p.m., San Diego police spokesman Darius Jamsetjee told NBC 7 that both of the children were conscious and breathing when they were taken to Rady, and that crisis-intervention volunteers were called out to work with the family. Officials have not yet said how old the kids are.
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The area was cordoned off with crime scene tape after the incident, with several patrol cars on scene. The area blocked off was above a rear concrete driveway and series of carports.
A police official told NBC 7 that detectives from the child-abuse unit were being sent to the scene, which was standard procudure for such incidents and not necessarily indicative of child abuse having taken place.
Local
More children are falling out of windows during summer in San Diego
The number of children who have fallen out of their home windows has been increasing every summer for the past few years. Doctors at Rady Children’s Hospital told NBC 7 earlier this month that this summer could be the worst one yet, but it doesn’t have to be.
The number of children falling out of windows has been increasing 10% every year since 2021.
Most of the injuries Rady Children’s treat are with kids 6 and younger. Lower-income families are feeling it the worst.
“Areas that are impacted socioeconomically have more apartment buildings, which can go higher, and there's no regulations or legislation right now in California or San Diego County that require any sort of safety mechanism on those windows,” said Matt Derkrikorian, Rady Children’s trauma program manager.
This leaves prevention to the parents. The Children’s Initiative hosts free workshops for them.
“The screens are not going to stop them from falling through,” said Roxanna Barajas Arenas, parent and community educator with Children’s Initiative. “That's where the window locks come in.”
They recommend you only open your window four inches. The summer months when more windows are open tend to be the worst for falls in San Diego, but doctors hope this summer will be different.
The Children’s Initiative works directly with schools to facilitate its free workshops. If any parents are interested, they should let their child’s school know so they can set up a class.
Check back here for updates on this breaking-news story — Ed.
