Horror as baby boy plunges 50ft from second-floor window of Birmingham YMCA apartment block leaving him fighting for life with head injuries
- The one-year-old baby boy suffered a serious head injury as a result of the fall
- Witnesses described a woman screaming after the baby plunged to the ground
- West Midlands Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the fall
A baby boy is fighting for his life after plummeting from a second floor YMCA apartment block in Birmingham.
The one-year-old plunged 50 feet shortly before 7pm last night.
He was today said to be in a critical condition in hospital with a serious head injury.
West Midlands Police have launched an investigation into how the baby came to fall from the building in Reservoir Road, Erdington.
He plummeted from a flat at a YMCA Heart of England housing scheme called The Vineyard.
A small piece of clothing lay on the floor, surrounded by green fasteners from first aid kits used by the ambulance crew to treat the injured baby
A police van was seen stationed outside the building, believed to be a YMCA hostel for vulnerable adults
The baby is believed to have fallen on a narrow pathway between the building and the railway embankment.
A small piece of clothing lay on the floor, surrounded by green fasteners from first aid kits used by the ambulance crew to treat the injured baby.
A witness said: ‘I didn’t see it happen, but I heard screaming from a woman. There were so many cops and ambulance people here, it was gut wrenching.
‘I heard from other residents here that there was another young kid inside when it happened, I’m praying the child is going to be okay.’
Paramedics from West Midlands Ambulance Service rushed the baby boy to hospital on blue lights and sirens, where he remains in a critical condition.
The infant remains in hospital after having suffered a serious injury from the fall
A cordon was last night placed around the rear of the property, where residential rooms look out onto a railway line.
West Midlands Police said in a statement: ‘We are investigating after a child fell from the window of a flat on Reservoir Road, Erdington just before 7.30pm last night.
‘The one-year-old child was taken to hospital with a serious head injury, where he remains today as enquiries continue into how he came about his injuries.’
Staff from the YMCA scheme next door went to help him and his family within minutes of the incident, according to a YMCA Heart of England spokesman.
He said: ‘Our heart goes out to the little boy’s family and our thoughts and prayers are with them.
‘We are working with the West Midlands Police and will be carrying out our own investigation internally so that we fully understand what has taken place. YMCA Heart of England takes health and safety extremely seriously and our residents’ safety and welfare is central to everything we do.’
He said The Vineyard, which opened in May 2016, ‘meets or exceeds all relevant safety standards’ and it has an in-house team and external professionals who help maintain the properties.
The spokesman said: ‘We will continue to offer support to the little boy’s family and to our staff and other residents who have been affected by this.’