Boy, 4, Survives 11-Story Fall in Albany

[kurth]

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- A 4-year-old boy survived a fall from an 11-story window Friday after being left alone at home, bouncing off a metal awning into a concrete courtyard and then trying to stand up, officials said. He was able to chat with doctors. ''I'm amazed the kid's alive,'' Police Chief James Tuffey said. Hasim Townsend remained in serious condition Saturday with a broken skull, a broken leg and other injuries. ''It's an incredibly good sign that he was talking, and I can't attribute it to anything other than good luck,'' said Dr. Michael Dailey, an attending physician in the emergency department.

The boy ended up in the same pediatric intensive care unit at Albany Medical Center where his mother works as a receptionist, police reports said. Elizabeth Burciaga, 21, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child. She initially told police the boy had been left with a baby sitter, officials said.

The boy stood on a bed and pressed against a window screen, which gave way, police said. He hit the awning about 12 feet off the ground, and it flexed and saved him. Police came after residents heard him crying. Paramedics had to hold the boy still. Albany has no regulation requiring bars or other window guards in high-rise apartments, said Steve Longo, executive director of the Albany Housing Authority.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-11-Story-Fall.html

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. no money for a sitter is my guess.

:(

[PA Democrat]

4. I recall Rick Santorum pontificating about cutting money for child care

for the welfare to work program. He said, "Making people struggle a little bit is not necessarily the worst thing."

Yeah, Rick, it was good to make that 4 year old kid struggle for his life after falling from that window.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A15664-2003Sep15¬Found=true

[bleedingheart]

5. yep...when you have to choose between a child crying for food and shelter

and perhaps the risks of leaving that child at home while you work because of the uncaring taxpayers who don't want children to get child care...well some people take the risk...

[tammywammy]

2. That boy was quite lucky!

I hope that he has a full recovery

[sleipnir]

3. When children have children, this happens all too often.

The poor girl was only 17 when she had her kid.

Critical judgment skills haven't fully formed in most people until the early 20's.

[LeftyMom]

6. She's 21, not 12.

It doesn't take a huge amount of common sense to know that a four year old can't be left alone.

Her age is not an excuse. I wasn't much older when I had LeftyKid (he was born shortly after my 20th birthday) and he's never in his five years of life been left unsupervised or otherwise endangered.

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

7. Early twenties eh? I would've said early thirties. But of course, there

are exceptions.