A community has been left shaken following news that a toddler had died after falling from the seventh floor of a tower block in Leeds.
West Yorkshire Police were called to Saville Green, in Burmantofts, on Saturday, July 2, to reports a one-year-old boy had fallen out of the window.
An investigation has now been launched by the force to establish the full circumstances but the incident is being treated as “a sudden unexpected death in childhood”.
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It is believed that the young boy lived in the building with his mum and two siblings. The family is believed to have been living in the building for around nine years.
A neighbour told LeedsLive, he heard the mum screaming and he saw the boy on the grass verge on the side of the building where he had fallen.
Emergency services were called straight away and arrived at the scene within minutes of the call being made one resident confirmed.
“I’m sad for the mum, she’s a very nice person. It could have happened anywhere,” said the neighbour. “I’m shaken, very upset and nervous. I know the mum, she’s a good mum. The little boy would run and give me a hug, he was very fast.”
Another neighbour who lives in the flat above the family said she was told that a child had fallen out of the window but didn’t realise it was from the flat above.
The woman, who saw the boy on a stretcher, believes the window he fell out of could have been a bedroom window.
She said: “It’s hard, really hard. I don’t know the mum but she lived in the flat above me. There were police and ambulances all over. I didn't know what was going on, they said a tot had fallen and we didn't realise it was from the flat above us.”
Another resident, a 22-year-old woman added that “it’s really close to home” as she had a young sibling.
She was not home when the incident occured but when she returned home, she had to ask for permission to be left in her home as a scene was still in place.
She said: “It’s tragic, I’ve got a little brother as well who is four years old. It’s really close to home.I’ve seen the boy around. She has three kids, I know the boys are young, I don’t know the exact age of the girl.”
“This is the first time this has happened,” Lisa and Chris Kincard, who have lived at the flats for nearly 10 years, added. “It’s really shocking, I didn’t know if it was anyone we knew. I heard on the news and I couldn’t believe that's what it was. I’m really saddened by the news. They shouldn’t let kids here. When we moved, they didn’t have any kids living here (and) now there’s loads.”
The incident has sparked some residents to call one Leeds City Council to change the windows on the flats. A family who live nearby said they had previously raised concerns to the council about the windows but nothing had been done.
A police van remained at the scene on Tuesday afternoon but a cordon has since been removed.
A spokesperson for the force said: “The incident is being treated as a sudden unexpected death in childhood and we ask that people consider the family and respect their privacy at what is clearly a very difficult time for them.”
Leeds City Council has been contacted for a comment.
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