During the most peaceful, most tranquil part of the day, tragedy struck this Texan family when a toddler died after wandering out of townhome while everybody was asleep and falling into a freezing pond.
It was at 4AM when the police were dispatched in the far northeast Dallas neighborhood after she called in to report her missing cousin. She had been caring for her cousin, 22-month-old Christian Harris, while the mother was out of town.
Upon arrival, the police performed a routine search of the house, and when they didn’t find the child explored the surrounding areas in the neighborhood.
READ: 18 fail-safe ways to baby proof the house
It wasn’t long before the police found the body in pond across the street.
“It appears the front door was not fully secured,” Deputy Chief Rob Sherwin said. “The child was able to just simply wander out sometime during the middle of the night and obviously was attracted to the water.”
The boy was rushed to Medical City Dallas Hospital, but despite the doctors’ efforts to revive him, the boy died.
It is unfortunate that this tragedy could have easily been prevented had the people responsible to look after the toddler did their part and took measures to make sure that all the exit points in the house were secure.
Child-proofing: it’s a must!
Child-proofing your home shouldn’t be difficult and complicated. It is as easy as locking the doors before bed, keeping out of sight sharp objects and choking hazards, and installing safety latches on cabinets and drawers.
You could also follow these easy but efficient suggestions:
- Around your house, be sure to secure furniture such as bookshelves and heavy furniture that could tip easily to the wall using brackets.
- Use doorknob covers to keep them out of rooms with potential hazards and to keep them from leaving the house unsupervised.
- Make sure your window blinds do not have looped cords on them as they can present a strangulation hazard to a young child.
- And always cover your electrical outlets with protective covers to keep small fingers from them and small objects from being inserted into them.
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