LEWISTON – A toddler who fell from a third-story window Tuesday morning was listed in fair condition at a hospital in Lewiston.

Police said 22-month-old David O’Connor fell through a window screen from an apartment at 21 Walnut St. shortly before 11:30 a.m.

Additional Photos

The mother and father of a 22-month-old boy who fell from the third floor of their apartment at 21 Walnut St. in Lewiston, react as their child is about to be loaded by emergency personnel into an ambulance on Tuesday morning. Police said the child had landed in a pile of soft dirt and was conscious when he was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. Amber Waterman/Lewiston Sun Journal

The boy’s father, Jonathan O’Connor, 31, said he was in the bathroom at the time. The mother, Crystal Martin, 40, was in the living room.

The toddler apparently climbed out of his crib, then fell out of his bedroom window.

The father said he went to check on his son and noticed the ripped screen.

He rushed to the window. When he looked out, he saw the boy standing on the ground behind the building, looking up at his father, police said.

The mother reported the fall.

The father went outside and carried his son around to the side of the building, cradling the boy on the steps until ambulance workers arrived.

They carried the diapered boy to a portable gurney and strapped him to it before wheeling him to a waiting ambulance. The boy appeared to be conscious.

The boy’s mother climbed into the ambulance with her son; his father stayed behind with the couple’s 3-year-old daughter, police said. The boy was taken to Central Maine Medical Center, where he was admitted.

Police Lt. Michael McGonagle said it’s understandable that many residents in the city feel the need to open windows during warm weather, but he urged them to take the needed precautions if young children live in the home.

Window locks and safety bars can help prevent such accidents, he said.

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