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11-month-old boy dies after falling from 4th floor window in Hokkaido

17 Comments

An 11-month-old boy died Sunday night after falling from the 4th floor window of an apartment in Iwamisawa City in Hokkaido, police said Monday.

According to the police, Yusei Homma was playing on a bed in the bedroom just after noon, when he apparently climbed up onto the window sill and fell out the open window after his mother Azusa Homma, 18, briefly left the room. The bed was situated right by the window and the ledge was just 30 cm higher than the bed. There was no one else present in the apartment at the time, police said.

A neighbor commented, “I went outside because I heard someone screaming, and then I saw the mother, distraught, calling her child's name over and over. She said that the boy had fallen while she was in the bathroom.”

© News reports

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17 Comments
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Very sad for the family, but mom should have closed the window.

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fell ? or...pushed ??

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I have my suspicions about the accidental falling out too.

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a mother at 17...possibly unwed as well, as the story doesn't mention anybody else at home...this was bound to end badly

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I hate to agree with some of the previous posters, but I bet when you unwrap the hole story you will get the "I was tired of being a mother and I was so stressed out" story from this girl.

Whatever the case, it is a truly sad event at the loss of one so young.

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Most 11 month olds are barely walking at that point. They can usually pull themselves up on things - but climbing onto a 30 cm ledge? I can quite easily see how this could have been a tragedy, but equally, I can quite easily see how it could not. In any case, before leaving a child alone even to nip to the loo anyone with common sense will do a quick reccy to make sure there are no open windows, small objects, unprotected electric sockets. It take 2 seconds and is instinctive for Mums I thought. But maybe not...

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This poor kid should have been put in a baby hatch. I suspect foul play as well.

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At 18 your are not able to be a good mother, at least not in the 1st world...

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I don't suspect foul play at all. Having a 4 year old and a 1 year old, I know first hand how hard it is to keep a child away from a window. But at the same time I know I have to keep my eye on them every second they are near a window and tell them twenty times in the span of a minute to not touch the screen. Keep tables, chairs, wagons, every thing away from the window! I just wish our windows weren't frosted chicken wire so we could look out the window without opening it.

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A sad accident. Mum must be shattered. 18 year old mothers do a good job, the world over, many single.But common sense does not allow open windows+babies+4 story drops.

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Seriously, how can any of you assume its foul play just because the mother is 18 years old? None of you know her or know how responsible she is, or what her family situation is. It's rude to make such assumptions without knowing the facts. My son, when he was 10 months old, he was very capable walking, running, and climbing a 30cm ledge. She shouldn't have had the bed position next to the window and have the window open, but there are dozens of unsafe things in everyone's house... making this a horrific accident.

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very hard to be a responsible mother at 18. These are difficult times and without help from others it simply is dificult to bring up a child alone. sad.

You must have a child only when you are ready to do take the full responsibilty. But sometimes, unforeseen circumstances I guess.

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I'm not so sure it was foul play. The same thing happened to one of Eric Clapton's kids. It is tragic that people aren't able to properly assess risks but it does happen.

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I don't suspect foul play at all. Having a 4 year old and a 1 year old, I know first hand how hard it is to keep a child away from a window. But at the same time I know I have to keep my eye on them every second they are near a window and tell them twenty times in the span of a minute to not touch the screen.

How dare you not find the mother guilty based on a handful of reported facts? This is Japan Today, so get with the program!

...following on for your sensible thoughts, all of us who are parents follow similar checks on windows, hot pans etc, but there have probably been things out around at home that might have caused a child damage which you did not notice at the time and are still (thankfully) blissfully unaware of.

My daughter fell off a picnic bench and broke her collar bone (in toddlers they are not properly set anyway). I was sitting right next to her. I should have been more careful, but this sort of stuff can happen.

And for the record, and 11-month-old baby is easily capable of climbing out of a 30cm gap.

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thank you Ah_so, hopefully that sarcastic remark will help open their eyes that they are way too damn skeptical. kinda explains why the state of the world is the way it is right now huh?

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Regardless, this should be in the crime section - child endangerment at a minimum!

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Regardless, this should be in the crime section - child endangerment at a minimum!

...so not actually a parent yourself then, are you?

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