NEWS: Supertot

MARK McLAUGHLIN
Evening News (Edinburgh)
July 23, 2010, Friday

A TODDLER has survived falling 18 feet from his bedroom window without a scratch - after landing on a pile of rubbish.

Eighteen-month-old Jayden Douglas, who has been nicknamed Superman, is believed to have climbed out of his cot, on to the window sill and opened the window fully before tumbling out.

He landed on a discarded cardboard box and rubbish bags which were lying outside the family home in Denholm Avenue, Musselburgh. If he had fallen just a few inches further away he would have crashed through an old glass-topped table that was sitting on the patio waiting to be thrown out.

His mum, Tammie Thomson, 18, said: "I was cooking in the kitchen at around 8pm on Sunday and I heard a loud bang. I thought it was the cooker exploding and heard Jayden screaming.

"I ran upstairs and he wasn't in his room, but the window was open and the curtains were flapping in the breeze. I looked out of the window and there he was lying on top of a cardboard box in the garden.

"I ran downstairs and found him crawling towards the door screaming his eyes out. He could barely crawl. I called my mum and phoned for an ambulance and he was taken to hospital.

"They did X-rays and scans as they thought he might have hurt his neck in the fall, but they came back clear. He didn't even have a bruise or a scratch.

"They kept him in hospital for two days for observation but he's absolutely fine."

Miss Thomson, who is separated from Jayden's father and has only lived in the property for eight weeks, said she had left the window open just a crack in order to let air in.

She added: "I've asked the landlord to install window catches but we probably won't need them now. He's terrified of the window.

"My wee brother said to him the other day, 'did you fall out the window?' He pointed at the window and went 'uh oh!' and then started crying again, so it's obviously had a lasting impact.

"Otherwise he's fine. He's a very active boy and very funny.

"We're now calling him Superman and I think someone must be looking out for him."

Following Jayden's escape, police sealed the property off to conduct a routine investigation into his fall.

A spokesman said: "Lothian and Borders Police responded to an address in Denholm Avenue, Musselburgh, around 8pm on July 18 following reports that an 18-month-old baby boy had fallen from a window to the ground four metres below.

"The child was taken to the Sick Kids hospital for examination but had sustained no injuries and was kept in for observation. Inquiries are ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident."