Tragic balcony accident on Sunshine Coast

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDApr 2 2010

In a tragic incident on Thursday, a 16 month old toddler fell from the balcony of a Queensland apartment block at Alexandra Headlands on the Sunshine Coast and succumbed to a fatal head injury.

The fall was seven meters and the boy fell on a concrete walkway falling unconscious immediately. He was flown to Brisbane's Royal Children's Hospital where despite frantic attempts from the emergency the baby died later that night.

Child Accident prevention group Kidsafe said balconies are as dangerous for children as backyard pools. National president for the group Dr Mark Stokes said these balconies can be potential death traps for babies. He went on to say,

"Most of these small balconies usually have a combination of table and chairs, which if left against the safety railing can act as a simple set of steps for toddlers…A toddler can easily climb onto a chair and then onto the top of the table, placing them in a very dangerous situation….They are top heavy, have no understanding of the danger of heights and there is no barrier to stop them falling…. A number of deaths and serious injuries have occurred in the past 12 months with children falling from apartment balconies and open windows”

"Kidsafe is urging all people living in apartments with tables and chairs to implement their own safety plan by keeping the table and chair combination away from their balustrades and treat the balcony the same as a backyard swimming pool by not letting children on the balcony without supervision," he said.

It is not just enough to be careful if dwellers have children he said. Those without kids should also be wary if they have visitors with kids to avoid such accidents.