3-year-old girl seriously injured after falling out window in Harlem
HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- A 3-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries after falling from a window in Harlem on Tuesday.
The incident happened just after 1 p.m. at 19 W. 137th Street.
The 3-year-old girl fell from a sixth-floor window onto hard concrete behind her building.
Fortunately, she got help extremely quickly. A handyman who happened to be at the back door entrance told Eyewitness News reporter Sonia Rincon that he heard a thud, ran out, looked around and found her.
"A little baby laying on the ground. I said oh my god and dropped everything," Alfred Morson said.
A family whose window faces the courtyard also saw the girl, a toddler wearing a pink dress and a diaper.
Morson called 911 as he kept talking to the little girl in the small courtyard.
"Talking to the baby, making sure she's still with us," he said. "She was coherent, so I said I'm not going to leave, I'm going to let this kid keep hearing my voice."
Neighbors say firefighters arrived first, and transported the girl a block away to Harlem Hospital, where she is being treated for serious injuries but it in stable condition.
Police then arrived on the scene, and knocked on every door in search of the girl's parents. Moments later, they heard the scream of a mother realizing what had happened.
The victim's 37-year-old mother was home at the time when her daughter fell from the window.
It's not clear what the child's family was doing at the time, but their super Kevin Williams says they have lived here for a long time and never had a problem.
"Father is an A-1 guy, the wife is an A-1 person," he said. "They're very beautiful people."
The little girl fell out of a gap in the air conditioner panel. Williams says he'll be warning residents to make sure theirs are safe.
"Make sure you seal your AC inside your window," he said. "If you have the side tracks that go towards it, put a screw in each one so a child can't push them back. Make sure it's stabilized and if you can't do it yourself call the super. Don't even do it yourself, call me."
As police investigated, neighbors spent the afternoon and evening celebrating the holiday in the courtyard, hoping the little girl and her family are ok.
Police are still putting together exactly what happened, but are treating this as an unfortunate accident.
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