Everett mother uses her own experience to educate parents on window fall prevention

Window fall prevention is top of mind for paramedics and doctors after two children fell out of their living room window in Everett this past weekend.

So far this year, seven children have fallen out of a window in Snohomish County alone.

In 2021, there were 22 total instances of children falling out of windows and 18 in 2020. Harborview Medical Center has treated 10 children so far this year, and on average, they say they see between 40 and 50 a year.  

As the sun shines brighter and the weather gets warmer, fire officials say these incidents are too common.

26-year-old Chelsea Nelson, mother of 2-year-old Jamari and 5-year-old Olivia, is now fighting to prevent window falls after her two children fell out their third-story apartment window. 

"No child and absolutely no mother or parent does deserve to go through this, and it is preventable," Nelson said.  

She recalls her two children were just playing on the couch in the living room looking out the window, which was cracked just enough to give them some relief from the summer heat.

"I heard a loud bang from one of them hitting the gutter on their way down," Nelson said.  "I looked to see them out of my balcony just laying on the floor. I rushed downstairs as fast as I could."

A nightmare for Nelson, who ran down to find her two children unconscious.

"When the screen busted, it was just the top half. The bottom half was still intact after everything. They must have just rolled down the screen onto a roof that you see and landed in the dirt. Scariest thing ever," Nelson said.  

Both children suffered concussions, scrapes and bruises. Nelson says she’s grateful for no broken bones or worse injuries. 

"It's traumatizing. It's very traumatizing," Nelson said. "I feel scared now to ever open a window again in my life."

Officials say the majority of the time, a child who falls from a window will fall through a screen first.  

A warning many of us usually miss, despite it being clearly posted on windows.  

Nelson says she’s now aware of the dangers and hoping to educate other parents. She also wants to push for new legislation. 

"In New York City, it's mandatory on all their buildings to have those window guards or some type of security to make sure that that doesn't happen," Nelson said. "I want safety measures to be put in place just mandatory for anybody, higher than the first floor."

Everette Fire Department will be installing a window stop for the family on Wednesday.  

South County Fire has window stops available for residents free of charge. Experts say the key number to remember is four: windows should only open four inches any given direction.