Mum tells of horror accident at home: ‘It was a parent’s worst nightmare’

A West Midlands mother, whose child was treated at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, has opened up about the scary accident that brought them there.

When Jodie’s son Wilfred was just 19 months old, he fell out a second-story window in his family home. As part of Child Safety Week 2023, Jodie, Nursery Nurse and Mum of two from Warwickshire, opened up about the ordeal.

Jodie said: “Me and Wilfred were both upstairs at home when the accident happened. I’d gone into another room to put some clothes away. It was only two minutes, but in that time, Wilfred had managed to get into our bathroom and climb up to our bathroom window.”

The 19 months old boy managed to push open the window, where he then fell out. When Jodie realised what had happened, she rushed outside. She found Wilfred conscious and he only appeared to have a few grazes, but he was lying very still. The mum’s instincts told her that he was really hurt.

Jodie said: “It was a parent’s worst nightmare; it was just the worst feeling in the world. I was so panicked, I just held Wilfred and cried for help. Luckily, our delivery lady was walking past and rushed over to call an ambulance.”

The ambulance arrived in a few minutes, and Wilfred was rushed to the Emergency Department at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Jodie said: “We were incredibly lucky that there was a canopy underneath our window that broke Wilfred’s fall, the paramedics said it saved his life.”

Wilfred underwent several tests at the Emergency Department, where they discovered he had a fractured skull and a bleed of the brain

Jodie explained: “When they told me, my heart sank, I thought the worst, and I just felt so guilty. Although everyone reassured me it wasn’t my fault, I kept blaming myself.”

Fortunately, the fracture hadn’t caused any permanent damage, doctors found, and Wilfred was admitted to Ward 10 to be closely monitored.

Jodie said: “It was such an upsetting time; everyday Wilfred’s head was swelling, and I was so worried about him. I was 38 weeks pregnant at the time too, but everyone on the ward was so nice and explained what was happening. It was reassuring knowing he was under the best care.”

Despite being pregnant, Jodie stayed in the hospital with Wilfred.

Jodie said: “Wilfred actually enjoyed his time being cared for on the ward even though it was a bad situation, he never stopped smiling throughout his recovery and that’s because of the Ward 10 team.”

Wilfred soon made a speedy recovery and was discharged after a week on the ward.

Jodie said: “We are so thankful for the care Wilfred received and for his quick recovery. He is now a happy smiling two-year-old, who loves swimming and football.”

The little boy bought his own doctor’s kit from the hospital’s Charity shop on his way out, which he uses to check on his baby brother Woody, who was born not long after Wilfred was discharged.

Jodie added: “We are so grateful for how well Wilfred is doing. We want to share our story for Child Safety Week, so we can raise awareness of the danger of windows and encourage families to always ensure windows are closed when little ones are in the house. Importantly, if you have young children, make sure you check what safety latches you have on your windows and have cables installed if needed.”

Robbie, Wilfred’s dad, said: “We just want to thank all the staff on Ward 10 and in the Emergency Department who cared for Wilfred. We couldn’t have asked for better care for our son during such a traumatic time for us. They were all so incredibly caring, they really are life savers. Thank you all so much for helping our little miracle boy.”

To raise awareness and to support Birmingham Children’s Hospital charity, Jodie, Robbie and Wilfred’s step-sister Isabelle, six, took part in the Great Birmingham Run at the start of May, raising £621 for young patients.