Dubai : Boy Fell 8 Floors; Traumatized Mom Jumped Too

mom was waiting for schoolbus with 14 year old daughter. saw her 5 year old boy dangling at the window of their 8th floor apartment. went up to try and save him. he had already fallen. she came down. saw that he was dying, sister was holding his hand. her clothes soaked with blood. she went straight back up. and jumped too. she fell on her son. died instantly. her son died soon after. husband who was away on business rushed back.

i read the tragic account on gulfnews many times. i live in a high-rise building, and i have young children. it shudders me still when i write this, tears forming in my eyes. may Allah have mercy on their souls, and grant courage and strength to the father and daughter to go on; especially the daughter who had witnessed the whole tragedy.

this happened in a building at jumeirah lake towers, an area of high-rise buildings right by our place in dubai marina.

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it was probably just like any other morning for the mother and her daughter. wait for the school bus with her daughter, and leave her son (who was probably sleeping) at home. little did she know it was going to be a tragic day for the iranian family.

only Allah knows what went through her mind when she made the decision to jump.

the boy fell 8 floors down, before mom went up and jump too

a few primary issues arise : the safety of the windows of high-rise apartments in dubai, and the negligence of leaving children unattended at home, even for awhile.

a lot of people are questioning dubai government on the safety standards of these high-rise buildings. even if they want to blame the mother for leaving her son unattended in the house, this incident could've easily happened even when she's busy in the kitchen, or in the bathroom. the question remains : how safe are the windows? how can the window be easily opened by a 5-year old?

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS :

• build a net around the building to catch any falling object
• build window that DOES NOT open wide, but just enough to put a head in
• locking system of windows and doors should be top-notch
• make the windows heavy, or tight - that no children would have the strength to open
• build small balconies under a window, like a flower box
• have grills on windows and balcony
• build iron bars below the windown for support, or stronger railings on balcony/window
• install door alarms on balcony door, so you'll know when it's opened or not locked
• building management should review building-safety and and identify any possible hazards, then put warning signs

i am a mother of 3 boys, so i know that it is difficult to keep an eye on our children ALL THE TIME. from long ago we as a family made it a point to close the bathroom doors and kitchen door everytime leaving these rooms. these two places are open to so many possibilities of dangers for my baby kazim. kahfi my 3 year old also has accustomed to this rule and alhamdulillah follows it.

from the moment they play near windows, deter them harshly from the beginning; so that a window or its surrounding will NOT be an area where they will play. living in the harsh weather of dubai, i keep the windows closed all the time, really.

safety awareness campaign with parents, and educate children on safety - we must be proactive as parents!

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in light of this tragedy, i am thankful to be living on a lower floor, despite the less-attractive view.

my husband had wanted a higher floor. i agree it was a charming idea. great view from the window; we could see the marina, the boats docking, and of course the majestic view of the open gulf sea. beautiful. however, there wasn't any available floor that high, and we had to settle for the 3rd floor.

looking back, i'm quite relieved.

the design of our building is in such a way that the 2nd and 3rd floors have balcony, but there's no door - that means it cannot be accessed via door. and it's a very narrow balcony SURROUNDING our whole unit (dulu macam tensen jugak - ape ni, ade balcony tapi takde pintu nak ke balcony tu. tapi pikir-pikir balik kalau ape-ape hal - nauzubillah - selamat) BUT the higher floors have balcony ONLY around a few perimeters (macam balcony biase kat hotel-hotel), while the rest of the unit only have windows like this :

lebih kurang macam ni la window aku, tapi aku ade balcony sempit tu around my windows. kalau tingkat yang tinggi-tinggi, takde balcony kat window macam gamba bawah ni

absolutely no grill, no small balcony under window, no metal railing to hold on to

even so, with all the precautionary measures we may take to ensure safety of our children, there are risks of fire, theft, car accidents, kidnapping...the list is endless. we are only human, so from Allah we seek protection and care. may Allah protect our families from harm. amin.

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