China boy, 3, survives 18-storey fall after tree apparently cushioned his fall

A three-year-old boy in Hangzhou, China who fell from the 18th floor of a residential complex on Jul. 15 had his fall cushioned by a tree and survived.

The boy was sent to hospital after property management staff were notified of his fall and called for an ambulance, according to Chinese media.

Fell from 18th floor while home alone

The boy's father, surnamed Zhu, told Jimu News that the incident took place at around 3pm on Jul. 15, while his son was at home alone.

Zhu's family live on the 18th floor of a residential complex in Hangzhou.

Zhu said a family member looking after his son at the time saw the boy had fallen asleep, and locked his bedroom door before going out to run some errands.

However, Zhu suspected that when his son found the door locked, he went to the bathroom and climbed on the toilet bowl to reach the window.

The window was not equipped with an anti-burglar mesh at the time.

Later, a female resident found the child lying on the ground below the residential complex, and notified the management.

In a clip of the incident circulated on Weibo, a woman was heard saying in Mandarin, "Whose child is this? Why is no one looking after him?"

Survived

The management subsequently helped to call the police and sent the child to a local hospital, Beijing News reported.

The boy was found to have fractured his left hand, and also sustained injuries to his spine and internal organs, but thankfully avoided injury to his head.

Staff at a children's hospital affiliated with the Zhejiang University School of Medicine said on Jul. 22 that the boy was receiving treatment there, Jimu News reported.

Zhu told reporters that all indicators for his son's condition had shown improvement, and the boy was gradually recovering.

Tree cushioned son's fall: Father

When Zhu checked surveillance footage, he reportedly saw that his son had fallen from the 18th floor.

While falling, the boy appeared to have hit a window on the 17th floor, changing the trajectory of his fall and causing him to land on a tree.

Zhu believes the tree cushioned his son's fall and allowed him to survive.

He subsequently tied a red ribbon on the tree in appreciation for saving his son's life.

Related

Top image from Weibo/Sichuan News