By CBSNEWS:
You might not know it to look at them, but experts say they pose a potential hazard for kids in your home, and they’re hidden in plain sight: open windows.
Every year in the United States, some four thousand children are injured in falls from windows, and several die, according to Safe Kids USA.
In just the past few weeks, youngsters have fallen from windows in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Nebraska and Texas.
The problem tends to get worse in warmer weather, when more windows are left open, points out “Early Show” Consumer Correspondent Susan Koeppen. She says kids ages 4 and under are most at risk, and the falls tend to happen around noon and after 5 o’clock, when parents are usually busy making meals. And it can be a problem whether you live in the city or the suburbs.
On “The Early Show” Wednesday, Koeppen told the tragic story of Ashley Reck, whose 4-year-old son, Parker, fell through the screen of an open bedroom window last May and lost his life. Ironically, it occurred during a housewarming party for the family’s new home in Molalla, Ore.
It happened, Reck says, “in an instant. You don’t realize how fast things happen. Within four hours, I had my son running around and then I was … saying goodbye.”
