Shortly after 4 p.m. today, firefighters responded to the 100 block of NW 209th Avenue on a report of a 3-year-old boy that had fallen from the second-story window of a single-family residence. 

Firefighters from Hillsboro Fire and Rescue arrived on scene within minutes to find the boy had landed on a concrete patio on the backside of the house. Firefighter paramedics assessed the boy’s injuries and determined them to be serious and life-threatening. Life Flight, who was already on standby, was then activated to the scene. The crews worked quickly to stabilize the boy and had him transported by MetroWest to a church parking lot nearby to meet up with the Life Flight helicopter. The boy was then flown to a trauma hospital. 

Hillsboro Fire was assisted on scene by Life Flight, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, Metro West Ambulance, and Washington County Sheriff’s Office. 

According to Safe Kids Worldwide, unintentional falls are the number one cause of non-fatal injury for children, and 38 percent of fall-related injuries in children are among kids 4 and under.  

Each year, emergency responders are dispatched to incidents involving children who have fallen out of windows. Most of these incidents occur during the spring and summer months when windows are open due to warmer weather. 

Firefighters encourage all families to remember that screens are meant to keep bugs out, not kids in and only allow windows to open 4 inches by installing a window guard or stop.

To learn more about window fall prevention visit www.stopat4.com.