Stop The Falls
Falls are the leading cause of non-fatal injuries for all children ages 0 to 19. According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, each day approximately 8,000 children are treated in United States emergency rooms for fall-related injuries.
Stop the Falls Coalition
To reduce the number of window fall-related injuries and deaths among Chicago children, the Injury Free Coalition for Kids created the STOP THE FALLS coalition in 2002 to engage in policy and program initiatives. The coalition consists of physicians and staff from hospitals in the city of Chicago - Lurie Children’s, Stroger Hospital of Cook County, Comer Children’s Hospital, Mt. Sinai Hospital, and Rush University Medical Center. Also participating in the coalition are members of the Illinois Department of Public Health and Chicago Department of Public Health, local architects, Master of Public Health students, and families of children who have been injured by window falls.
Prior to the start of the campaign, there were 30 window falls in the city of Chicago in 2001. By 2016, window falls had decreased by more than 50%.
What You Can Do
The installation of window guards, window sash stops, and/or window stoppers to keep window openings less than 4-inches can prevent window falls among for young children. These life-saving injury prevention devices are relatively inexpensive and available at local hardware stores.
Additional Resources
For more window safety tips and recommendations, please visit the following sites:
Injury Free Coalition for Kids
The Injury Free Coalition for Kids is among the country’s most effective injury prevention programs. We are a national program developed with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation comprised of hospital-based, communityoriented programs whose efforts are anchored in research, education and advocacy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Fall Prevention
We all want to keep our children safe and secure and help them live to their full potential. Knowing how to prevent leading causes of child injury, like falls, is a step toward this goal.
Safe Kids Worldwide: Fall Prevention
Safe Kids works to educate and spread awareness to parents and caregivers on the importance of creating a safe environment free of hazards that could contribute to serious fall-related injuries or death.
Contact Us
For information on the Injury Prevention & Research Center (IPRC) at Lurie Children's, please contact:Karen Sheehan, MD, MPH, Medical Director, at 312.227.7038 or at ksheehan@luriechildrens.org.