Child Falls Down Shaft At Children's Hospital

WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- A 6-year-old is lucky to be alive after falling 20 feet. The boy fell into a ventilator shaft in the parking garage at Children's National Medical Center.

There is a grate over the ventilator shaft now, but Alan Etter with DC Fire and EMS says it was an open hole when the accident occurred.

"He being a child and curious, went over to look inside the hole to see what was in there and apparently he leaned a little too far and fell into the shaft," Etter said.

Etter says the boy could have serious head and neck injuries. The hospital isn't releasing the boy's condition, citing HIPPA laws. Because the boy fell at the hospital, medical staff was able to treat him immediately.

"The information I have is that he was described as being conscious which is a good sign of course," Etter said.

The ventilator is only about a foot from the ground and is next to a parking spot. Childrens is now trying to figure out how and why the grate was removed.

FULL STATEMENT BY CHILDREN'S NATIONAL MEDICAL CENTER:

This morning, a child fell into a wall vent in the parking garage at Children's National. The child was immediately taken to the emergency department to receive care. The care of the patient and the family is our number one priority. Because of patient privacy laws, we cannot release information about the child at this time. Our team is fully engaged in the care and treatment of the patient and the family.

Children's takes this incident extremely seriously and we are committed to understanding how this incident could have occurred and to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

Children's notified District authorities immediately after the incident was reported. The circumstances surrounding this event are under investigation. There is a process in place to routinely inspect our facilities and report findings. If the current review determines that these procedures need to be modified, we will do so immediately.

Children's remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety for our patients and families.

Paula Darte Director, Public Relations Children's National Medical Center