Noida: In a heart-wrenching incident reported from Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida area, a one-year-old has reportedly died after he fell off space between staircase from the 12th floor of his residential building on Monday. The grievous incident happened during the day when the family was celebrating the toddler’s first birthday and relatives were busy decorating the house, police officials said. According to officials, the boy had turned one on Monday and his family had planned a celebration to mark the occasion with some friends and relatives joining them at their residence.

The toddler along with his parents lived in a high-rise society in the Bisrakh area in Greater Noida (West). And, while playing in the common area on the 12th floor of the building outside his flat, the child reached the staircase and fell down the space between the iron handrails that run horizontally parallel, a police spokesperson said. The boy fell down on the ground floor of the building, leading to his death, the spokesperson said.

On being informed about the saddening incident, a police team was rushed to the spot. The body was later sent for a post-mortem and further legal proceedings were underway, police added.

Precautions Families/Society Should Take

With wonderful amenities, high-end infrastructure, and a gated community, living in a high-rise apartment also brings along the possibility of various kinds of hazards and mostly if you have a toddler or a small kid at home. A growing child is curious about everything, be it leaning down from the balcony, window, or the staircase of your apartment, they just love to climb, touch, watch and explore everything that comes their way. And if parents or the caregivers of the children are not careful enough then anything can happen that might put your child’s life at risk because — a split second is all it takes.

Hence, here are some simple yet effective safety precautions that must be taken by families with small children if the high-rise apartment doesn’t have it already:

  1. If you want to prevent your child from falling off an open window install safety grilles on your windows.
  2. Make it a habit to lock the windows and door to your balcony when you’re not around.
  3. Put a safety net to the balcony or cover it with a grille so that your child doesn’t have the risk of slipping off when he/she leans over
  4. Also, ensure to keep the main door leading to your apartment always closed, to lower the risk of your child running out towards the lift or staircase.
  5. Always remember not to leave your children alone in the house and caution the caregivers of your child to follow all kinds of high-rise safety precautions.
  6. If your child is old enough to understand instructions, try to teach them about the dangers of windows and balconies. The kid must also never be allowed to use the building lift alone.