Death Of 4-Year-Old In Stamford Sparks Call For Statewide Window Safety Legislation

STAMFORD, CT — Stamford officials hope to urge state lawmakers to pass window safety legislation to protect children following the death of a 4-year-old child who fell from a 10th-floor apartment earlier this summer.

The Board of Representatives Legislative & Rules Committee, at the request of Rep. Scott Stone, voted 9-0 on Aug. 25 to recommit a draft resolution to the BOR Steering Committee, which is expected to work on the item in September.

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Stone said he wanted "the most meaningful resolution possible" and hoped to work on "relevant amendments" before the full Board of Representatives votes.

The draft resolution was brought forward by Stone in early August and was co-sponsored by several fellow representatives.

The original draft resolution urged the Connecticut General Assembly to pass statewide legislation requiring temporary or removable window guards or window stops in residential rental units where a child under age 10 lives or frequently visits. It also asks Stamford's state legislative delegation to support and co-sponsor the proposed legislation.

Current state building codes generally require such protections only in newly constructed or substantially renovated residential buildings.

The draft resolution noted that the death of a child who fell from a window while visiting his grandmother in Stamford earlier this summer "highlighted a critical gap in statewide tenant safety regulations."

The draft noted that, "according to pediatric health and trauma experts, including the Injury Prevention Center at Connecticut Children's Hospital, falls from windows are a leading cause of accidental injury and death among young children, particularly during warmer months."

On Aug. 14, 11 days before the Legislative & Rules Committee voted to recommit the item to Steering, Stone sent an email to BOR office staff saying he planned to offer amendments to the draft resolution at the meeting, including replacing the call for uniform statewide window safety requirements with legislation that would give municipalities the option to adopt their own window safety ordinances.

The proposed changes from Stone would also give local public safety, fire and health officials a role in determining appropriate regulations and exceptions, including ensuring window safety devices do not impede firefighting operations or occupants' ability to escape during a fire.

On the evening of July 26, a group of female residents on Prospect Street flagged down a Stamford police patrol supervisor and reported that a child had fallen from an apartment window, police said at the time.

Police, along with Stamford fire and EMS personnel, immediately responded. The child was pronounced dead at the scene.

A GoFundMe fundraiser was launched to help the family with funeral expenses and other financial needs. The fundraiser has since raised over $13,000.