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11-month-old baby falls to death from apartment window

51 Comments

Police in Fujiidera, Osaka, are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of an 11-month-old baby who fell to his death from the window of a sixth-floor apartment on Tuesday afternoon.

According to police, emergency services received a call at around 5:20 p.m., saying that a baby had fallen from a window and was lying on the ground outside an apartment block, TBS reported. At the scene, emergency personnel found the body of Haruru Ichiguchi who had apparently fallen roughly 15 meters from a bay window of the top-story apartment in which he lived with his parents. He was taken to hospital where he died late Wednesday, TBS reported.

Haruru's mother was quoted by police as saying that he had been climbing on a sofa near the window shortly before the accident.

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Haruru’s mother was quoted by police as saying that he had been climbing on a sofa near the window shortly before the accident.

Really?! And she did nothing to prevent this accident!

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Haruru’s mother was quoted by police as saying that he had been climbing on a sofa near the window shortly before the accident.

Ah, Darwinism! Mother saw 11 month old son playing near an open window on the 5th floor? Um, hello! Did you not consider the consequences? That is just plain stoooopid!

7 ( +10 / -3 )

My mother knew a girl who had her one year old fall out of the 2nd floor window, but the result was the same. Hey, it was back in the '80s, that's all i know...

The point is, a baby's head is very big and heavy in relation to the rest of the body, and their balance is terrible... you have to really watch what they do. I almost fell off the kitchen table once, while my mother was feeding me when i was that age... i leaned over to look and that was it. But she was right there.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Due to the frequency of this type of reports in the news, it's getting harder and harder to have any empathy for the parents of such accidents. A few coins spent on dowels to place in window tracks and you can save your kids lives. I wish they would learn from other peoples past mistakes.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

HOW?? I have 3 kids and at 11months old they could barely climb onto the sofa let alone over the back of it.

11 ( +14 / -3 )

An 11 month old baby can't climb, can't walk, so how did it get on the sofa and then to the window? Are we missing something here?

6 ( +11 / -5 )

Unbelievable!!!! At least every week we hear about a case of a child falling from a high rise balcony, or window and being killed or seriously injured. Seriously if these people cared at all about the wellbeing of their kids why would they not spend the 500Y on a window lock that allows the window to be slightly opened and then locked in place. I bet they would spend more than that on other luxuries but cant spend it on something that will save their kids lives.

What's more given the frequency of these events and the number of deaths that occur maybe its time that the local governments look at reviewing the building codes regarding railing and lockable windows in high rise buildings. Oh wait thats right this is Japan where safety is optional, one only needs look at the unrestrained kids in cars. Silly me what was l thinking.

6 ( +11 / -5 )

buggerlugs: Don't forget that 'baby' here isn't quite defined by the same age parameters we have in other nations. There is no word for 'toddler' in Japanese, really (at least I don't think so). People have always reacted surprisingly when I tell them that in Western countries a 'baby' is really only until one year old, or until they can walk if it's later.

Regardless, this is yet ANOTHER case of a place that has not been adequately child-proofed, and the child pays for it. Shame on the parents! I know if it was INDEED an accident that they'll be suffering horribly... probably... but what did they think was going to happen?

3 ( +5 / -2 )

I'm trying to picture the room with the couch....Was there no balcony? I mean, why would anyone put a couch right by a window? And an opened window at that! And letting your child play on the couch while the window is open is just plain stupid especially if there is nothing behind this window except falling 15 meters! Safety is definitely not something most Japanese are familiar with. Sooo sad...

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Yet another bad partent!

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Again and again, does anyone keep statistics for these accidents, or is that a " cultural" thing? Windows at that level open to a degree that allows children to Fall? How about there is a building regulation that goes some way to protect our future tax payers? Although suicides can not always be stopped, this surly wouldn't be one.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

An 11 month old baby can't climb, can't walk, so how did it get on the sofa and then to the window? Are we missing something here?

I was walking at 11months... my parents told me.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

The mother probably thought it was safe because the window had a bug screen.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

An 11 month old baby can't climb, can't walk, so how did it get on the sofa and then to the window? Are we missing something here?

Ignorance like this gets babies killed. The variety of human beings is such that pretty much all age related preconceptions are very flimsy. Not all 11 month old babies are fat lumps with heavy heads. Some are pretty trim, have small heads and are very active, can climb out of their cribs

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Not all 11 month old babies are fat lumps with heavy heads. Some are pretty trim, have small heads and are very active, can climb out of their cribs

I was saying that a heavy head is what gets babies killed. At our age our center of gravity is the torso, for a baby or a toddler it's the head, they are top-heavy and one bad move can result in a fall. Just leaning forward can result in a fall.

Which i meant to say, just looking out the window can be enough for the young ones to lose balance and fall down head first. They say curiosity kills the cat, but in real life a cat can fall from the 5th floor and with some effort land on its feet. A curious baby can fall head first and that's a near instant death.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

She did nothing to prevent it and didn't even notice the baby was missing!

5 ( +6 / -1 )

My son was walking at 10 months, running at 11 (albeit clumsily)...my granddaughter at 11 months could crawl and climb (fast, too!)

It was a 'demado', a bay window, so the poor child probably went from the sofa to the window shelf. People think it's OK if you have screens, but they mean little as a barrier. I happened to look out my apartment window when we lived in the States and saw a boy ride the screen down from the 3rd floor, and land in some bushes...the screen came down flat across the tops of the bushes and saved him. Kids push up against screens.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

so is it just coincidence that two little boys also died in the same town Fujiidera, Osaka? RIP to the little boys

4 ( +4 / -0 )

An 11 month can not walk or talk or climb.

Please, just stop spreading this ignorance right now! Every 11 month old is different, and thinking otherwise will result in harm to the babies of some people who listen to your uneducated presumption. Maybe your kids, if you have them, could not. But your kids are your kids and no one elses!

The mother may be telling the truth, which would make her very stupid though, right along with the father who, more than anyone, should have baby proofed the place long ago.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

The mother may be telling the truth, which would make her very stupid though, right along with the father who, more than anyone, should have baby proofed the place long ago.

Sorry!!! But why is it the fathers job to baby proof the place. Surely it is the role of BOTH parents to ensure a safe house for the kid not just the father.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

My lot had all started crawling (in a fashion) by 11 months. Couldn`t take my eyes off them for a minute. Bought one of those enclosure fence thingies so I could just hang out the washing a few feet away and know they were okay and in a totally safe environment. They were still only a few feet away, well within my grasp and eyeballs!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

What an absolutely terrible tragedy. It must be so hard to go through life living that scene over and over again every day. http://www.eric-clapton.co.uk/interviewsandarticles/loryinterview.htm

2 ( +2 / -0 )

where is the national public outcry to stop this from reoccurring? Building code changes are needed swiftly

2 ( +3 / -1 )

When I read the headline I thought... another one?

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Terrible partening!!!!! You would thing that in a country where most people live in apartments basic safety would be a part of the culture.

I was walking at 5 months!!!

0 ( +3 / -3 )

zichiJun. 20, 2012 - 06:15PM JST

I walked at 9 months

Me too!

0 ( +2 / -2 )

So sad! And so preventable!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Omg! I thought this was recycled news from a little while back!!! This happened again?!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

There is no word for 'toddler' in Japanese, really (at least I don't think so).

幼児 ようじ, or youji, is translated into infant, baby or toddler.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

so the call didnt even come from the parent. She noticed him climbing around the sofa but did see or hear him go out of the window? That must have been some movie or TV show.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

strange !!!!!!!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Who knows what kind of mother this woman is, not even noticing the baby is not in her apartment?? RIP little baby boy from Osaka.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Luckily most parents are able to visualise hazards in their home and take steps to ensure that they are counteracted. It is sad that this little ones parents failed on this.Little ones do climb,so a child lock that would have prevented the window from opening far enough for a child to climb through would have prevented the accident. The sofa close to the window was also a hazard,but I guess its too late to point out the safety precautions now. RIP little one

1 ( +1 / -0 )

RIP little one... :(

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Please dO not put words in my mouth. My statement was " I have 3 kids and they could climb onto a sofa but couldn't climb over the back" I mean they did not have the strength to pull themselves up over the back of a sofa (and I'm assuming it went upto window height!! I know the definitions of toddlers change here but 11 months old is basically the same. It's amazing how posters nit-pick. The fact I stated is based on 3, read it,3 children I have. All boys and 2 exceptionally strong. Also it's based on physics. A child of the average height for that age would not have the muscle power required to get leverage to get into that position. (again based on a sofa of size where the back is upto window sill height) The only reason my kids could get onto the sofa was stand at the edge and fall, then drag themselves vertically onto the cushion. Instead of getting predantic check the physics required, then question why the mother allowed it to happen. After checking get a life,something which this child doesn't have now. RIP LITTLE ONE.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I was walking at 8 months and so was my son, so it is quite possible this little boy was able to climb onto the sofa and beyond, but what sort dumb donkey would let a kid play near an open window on the 5th floor? Seriously? It is hard to believe she could be so negligent and stupid, which makes my imagination stretch beyond this being a tragic accident and am tending to lean towards more sinister actions causing the death of this little bot.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

So many of these accidents,I am glad police are investigating.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I agree. My thought is was the baby "helped" or recieved a "boost" that went wrong. Walking is very different to climbing. At 7 months one of my kids could lift a full 1.5l bottle to head height but no way his own body weight.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I was toddling about at 11 months... and apparently clambering over everything, including the dog.

There could be any number of reasons the mother didn't see her baby topple out of the window in time: answering the door, in the loo, answering a phone call, attending to cooking, reading a book or magazine, even watching TV... anything.

I know that vicious or careless mothers make for good horror stories to comment on, but we can't keep on assuming that this woman was either of those things.

Maybe the child just started doing this, and this could have been its first time... we don't know.

RIP little baby.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

A fire and this in the exact same middle-of-nowhere town of Fujiidera (not Fujidera) on the same day??

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Thunderbird2Jun. 20, 2012 - 10:12PM JST

Maybe the child just started doing this, and this could have been its first time... we don't know.

Yeah, but in this case, if the baby could climb a sofa, he probably had been crawilng for a while already, and after a baby starts to crawl, you just never should take your eyes off of them unless they're caged or strapped.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The circumstances ought to be investigated, but I don't think the mother should necessarily be equated to being a murderer or anything. Raising little kids isn't easy and it's easy to take your eyes off of them for a few minutes only to have them coloring on the walls or knocking over plants, whatever. Though tragic, I'd be willing to believe the mother was looking away for a moment when it happened - it's hard to judge without being there. Of course it's important for parents to always supervise their children and this accident could have likely been avoided with shutting the window and keeping the kid off the couch. But no parent has never looked away for a moment, hopefully most of them have never had such a terrible thing happened in those few seconds though.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

But no parent has never looked away for a moment, hopefully most of them have never had such a terrible thing happened in those few seconds though

The most sensible comment yet. I was putting the washing out yesterday. I had my 2 year old come with me onto the balcony. But in the few seconds I was focusing on clipping the washing into the clips and he was behind me he disappeared. I knew the balcony was safe so I didnt drop the washing and instantly screech for him. About a minute later I found him back inside the bedroom (trashing it, to be exact!) But in those missing seconds something could have happened to him, and parents, whether they admit it or not, have "missing seconds" many times a day. You make the place as safe as you can (which is clearly not the case in this report) and hope for the best but even the best of parents are not infallible.

Oh - and 2 of my 3 were walking within a year! The third one just couldnt be arsed and he has followed that general pattern ever since!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It is right that you cannot watch toddlers every second, but would you let one play near an open window on the 5th floor? Would you?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

My child couldn't walk in 11 months, but I was sure not to take any chances with sofas and tables. Even baby beds are dangerous for the same reason. I cannot believe such ignorance of the mother as she actually saw him climb the sofa. I don't think this case is going to end here.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It is right that you cannot watch toddlers every second, but would you let one play near an open window on the 5th floor? Would you?

Exactly!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

meh... I was born walking!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I not only walked at nine months, but I climbed all the time, so my parents called me little saru-chan. That window would have been a target for me. RIP little one.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

meh... I was born walking!

Me too, strolled right out in fact!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

It is right that you cannot watch toddlers every second, but would you let one play near an open window on the 5th floor? Would you?

No. Wasnt suggesting this was excusable. Just responding to Tahoochi who said you should never take your eyes off of them. Not possible.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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