Toddler Tumbles 3 Stories, Walks Away With Scratches

A toddler tumbled out of an open third-floor window at his Canyon Country home Monday night, but escaped with only minor scratches and bruises because his fall was broken by the spindly branches of a sapling elm tree.

Andrew O’Hara, 15 months, fell about 25 feet from his bedroom window into the weeds and fallen leaves of a decorative planter about 6:15 p.m., according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies and paramedics.

After a night in a hospital for observation, Andrew was wandering through the family apartment Tuesday slamming doors, his most recent fascination.

“If only we could get him to shut windows,” joked his father, Mike O’Hara, 29.

Amid the joking and feelings of relief, the O’Haras said they still think about what might have been.

“It’s hard to imagine life without that guy,” O’Hara said. “To see him so full of life and to think that he could be dead. We feel very, very relieved. It’s like someone was watching over us.”

“It’s just a miracle,” said Mindy O’Hara, 21. She speculated that Andrew and his older brother, Nikolas, 4, were watching neighborhood children playing in the courtyard. The sliding window was open and a screen was in place, but it apparently came loose as Andrew leaned against it. Nikolas later told his mother that he turned and saw his brother’s legs disappearing through the window. He tried to grab hold, but the toddler slipped away.

Dazed, Andrew stared blankly for several seconds as his mother hopped the balcony railing and ran down the stairs. She thought for a moment that Andrew was dead and burst into tears. Then, Andrew joined in.

“He wasn’t crying until he saw me bawling,” she said. “It was such a relief. I didn’t know if anything was broken, but at least I knew he wasn’t dead.”