An 8-month-old infant was airlifted Sunday, June 19, 2022, from the Wonder Lake fire station to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. (Alex Vucha for Shaw Local)
An 8-month-old infant was flown to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge Sunday night after the baby reportedly fell off of a bed, the Wonder Lake Fire Protection District chief said.
Emergency responders were called about 7:30 p.m. Sunday to a home in Wonder Lake, Fire Chief Mike Weber said.
“Due to the baby’s condition, it was determined we needed to fly him to a hospital” capable of delivering the appropriate care, Weber said.
Fire and rescue crews were at the home for about four minutes before the infant was taken to the Wonder Lake fire station, from which he was flown by a LifeNet helicopter, Weber said.
A condition report for the infant was not released by Lutheran General.
An 8-month-old infant was airlifted Sunday, June 19, 2022, from the Wonder Lake fire station to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. (Alex Vucha, Alex Vucha for Shaw Local)
Weber said the parents told firefighters they had set the baby on the bed just a minute before, after spending the day at the beach.
Gary Reschak, a pediatrician at Northwestern Medicine Woodstock Hospital which was not involved in the incident, reminded parents that infants can wiggle off a high surface when parents get distracted.
“At eight months old, if they are not crawling, they are scooting” across surfaces, Reschak said. “You should not leave any baby on any high surface, whether a changing table or a bed. Never leave them unattended. If you have to walk out of a room, put them on the floor.”
The pediatrician also warned parents not to co-sleep with an infant of any age because of a bed’s height and other dangers.
“A baby should be sleeping in a dedicated spot, a crib or a pack-and-play, some place that is their own dedicated space that is flat with no loose blankets, crib bumpers or toys,” Reschak added.
Copyright © 2022 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2022 Shaw Local News Network