She Spots Toddler Dangling From Gutter, Knows Little Boy's Life Is In Her Hands
Toddlers are notorious for seeking out adventure and, given their obvious inexperience with life, a seemingly innocent adventure can become synonymous with danger. Even the safest of homes and the most watchful of parents can find themselves facing a scary situation when it comes to the safety of very young children.
On April 15, a woman from Sandusky, Ohio was driving home when she noticed a scene that made her slam on the car brakes. Jill Harper raced out of her car and toward a neighborhood home, where a child was precariously dangling from a rooftop.
Harper recalled trying to reach the child, an 18-month-old boy, who was hanging onto the roof gutter. She couldn’t reach him, so she furiously knocked on the front door for help.
“I could only touch his foot so I started banging on the house hoping that somebody would come outside and help me,” Harper told WJW-TV. “And he let go and I caught him in my arms when he let go.”
Luckily for the child, he was unscathed and completely oblivious to his dangerous predicament. The toddler was at risk of serious injury, had he landed on the concrete steps below.
Sandusky Police Detective Sgt. Kevin Youskievicz deemed Harper a hero for stopping to help.
“I am just thankful that she realized something was wrong and jumped out,” Youskievicz told Inside Edition.
The child’s guardian was reportedly home, using an upstairs bathroom during the incident. The toddler maneuvered around a baby gate and climbed up the stairs and out a bedroom window.
The boy’s guardian was reportedly shocked by the incident, and described the toddler as “rambunctious and energetic.” According to Inside Edition, the woman made some changes to her home to prevent this from happening again.
She will not face any charges, but the boy’s guardian was reminded to be vigilant when caring for such small children.
“Children, they will surprise you at any time,” Youskievicz said. “You turn your head for just a second thinking they’re going to be OK.”
“They will disappear quickly because they’re adventuresome,” he added. “They want to find out, and that’s exactly what I think happened here.”
Thankfully, a good Samaritan happened to be in the right place at the right time.
“It was the craziest thing that ever happened in my life,” Harper admitted.
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