The heartbreaking loss of a toddler who fell from the 11th floor of a docked cruise ship recently has family and friends absolutely devastated, reports Forbes.
The cute little girl is gone!
Chloe Rae Margaret Wiegand was in a play area of a cruise ship when she fell from the 11th floor window. It was the worst nightmare for the toddler’s family and friends.
The details of the event are still being explored. Regardless of the investigation of the nature and liability of the event, this was an unthinkable tragedy. What is known for sure is that this beautiful girl is gone.
Accidents the leading cause of mortality
Unfortunately, accidents are by far the leading cause of mortality in toddlers ages one to four years. In fact, accidents and accidental injuries are the leading cause of death in children and over 12,000 deaths annually in the U.S. alone in children ages 0 to 19 years.
Over 9 million children are treated in emergency departments each year for nonfatal injuries. Among all age groups, motor vehicle-related traffic accidents, including
- passenger,
- driver,
- pedestrian and
- cyclist
were the combined number one cause of accidental death.
In children under age one year, suffocation is the leading cause of mortality. In children ages one to four years, drowning was the leading cause.
Nonfatal falls
Falls are a leading cause of nonfatal injury in all pediatric age groups under age 15 years. Close to 3 million children visit emergency departments each year for injuries sustained following a fall.
For children under age one year, 50% of nonfatal injuries are due to falls. While efforts for prevention of falls and prevention of injuries from falls in homes, playgrounds, and sports fields have been instituted in recent years (such as protective gear, safer play surfaces, and in-home gates and railing) the horrific event of a fall from a multi-storey structure is not the type of event that these data are referencing.
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Source: Forbes
