A two-year-old boy has died after falling from a Toronto highrise, increasing the number of falls from a window or balcony to 10 in two months.
The boy's uncle said the toddler was with his mother and two sisters in the living room of their Regent Park apartment when he wandered onto the balcony.
It's believed the child was climbing on top of some bicycles that were stacked on the balcony when he toppled over at around 8 a.m. on Tuesday.
His lifeless body was found on the concrete, 11 storeys below, with no vital signs.
The boy was rushed to the Hospital for Sick Children where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
"This is extremely tragic. Anytime a child dies in this situation, or any kind of situation, it's beyond belief for the parents," Const. Wendy Drummond told CTV News from the scene of the accident.
The fall is the latest in a string of similar incidents that have safety groups urging parents to pay close attention to their children.
Toronto Emergency Medical Services official Dean Shadock told The Canadian Press this is the 10th incident of a child falling from a window or balcony in Toronto since May.
"We have had 60 falls since 1999, so obviously 10 this year makes it a high number,'' he said.
Emergency medical officials say two children have died from falls in the past three months in Toronto and five others have been seriously injured.
Last Sunday, a two-year-old boy was taken to Toronto's children's hospital after falling from a highrise building. He is expected to recover from the incident.
It is unclear if the boy fell out of a window or off of a balcony.
On June 26, a three-year-old Ottawa boy died after falling from the 15th floor of an apartment building.
On June 3, an 18-month-old boy died after falling out of a 28th floor-apartment building window in east Toronto.
The toddler, who landed on a grassy area, was taken to Toronto East General Hospital with vital signs absent. He was pronounced dead at hospital.
Police believe the boy fell through the living room window.
According to a recent survey, 200 Canadian children are hospitalized each year after falling from a structure.
Shadock cautioned parents that this type of accident can occur in single-family homes along with highrises.
"Half of these falls that we've documented happen in single-family residential homes out in the suburbs," Shadock said Tuesday.
"The message to parents and care givers and even older children and baby sitters is don't think that this is just an incident that can happen in an apartment building."
With a report from CTV's John Musselman
