Abu Dhabi: A five-year-old boy survived a fall from a first-floor apartment in a building on Hamdan Street in Abu Dhabi.
Police and ambulance crew quickly made their way to the area, where the accident occurred, after getting a call from the father.
Police did not indicate the date of the accident.
The child was transferred to hospital immediately after the accident and his condition in stable.
“According to investigations, the child has made his way to the window, opened it, lost his balance and tumbled outside when his father reached home.. During the incident, the mother was at the kitchen and she was informed by the building watchman,” Major Saeed Al Daheri, director of Al Sha’abiya police station of the Capital Police Directorate, said.
“We urge parents to install safety devices on balconies and windows to protect their children from falling. Parents should supervise their children round the clock, close all windows, and not leave them alone at home,” he added.
The police have issued instructions to refrain from leaving children unattended in vehicles in line with a comprehensive campaign on child safety as well as some precautionary steps that can be practised at home. For example, installing metal bars on windows set close to each other in a manner that does not leave any space for children to squeeze through, closing all windows and removing all furniture or large toys from places clos to windows so that children do not climb them.
Brochures in several languages have also been prepared and distributed to spread awareness among residents regarding children’s safety and preventive measures that families can take to protect children and prevent such incidents.
“Parents should supervise their children around the clock to avoid losing them at a very young age.” Major General Nasser Lakhrebani Al Nuaimi, Secretary-General of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Higher Committee for Child Protection at the Ministry of Interior, said.
The Hemayati mobile application was also launched to improve the safety and protection services available for children.
The free smartphone application, which is available in the UAE, can only be activated by parents to know the whereabouts of their children, and determine times of arrival and departure of children to and from schools, and inform them of any delays.
“Lack of awareness and negligence of parents have also resulted in several accidents such as children’s deaths inside parked cars from suffocation and heat fatigue. Therefore, extra caution should be taken to ensure children’s safety,” he added.
