3-year-old girl falls from 4th story window in St. Paul

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Neighbors are still in shock after a 3-year-old girl was critically injured after falling out of a fourth-story window in St. Paul.

Police say a displaced screen was found at the scene of the apartment in St. Paul's Highland Park neighborhood. The child was playing with other children on a bed that was pushed up next to the window.

The St. Paul Fire Department says falls are common during this time of year, and that parents need to be aware of what kinds of furniture or objects are near a window.

"A window that potentially might not be a risk to a small child - when a toy is pushed up against that area or a chair is pushed up against that area - it becomes a climbing tool that now they have access to something that potentially could lead to an injury," said Deputy St. Paul Fire Chief Roy Mokosso.

According to the International Firefighters Training Association, an average of 3,300 children fall out of windows every year in the U.S. An average of eight die each year. The average age is just over five years old.

Neighbors say they are shocked by what happened and reminding each other of the danger an open or even screened window can pose.

The child was rushed to a local hospital.