Kingston toddler in serious condition after falling from window
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SEATTLE -- A Kingston toddler is lucky to be alive after tumbling out of a window this weekend.
The Johnatakis family just welcomed a new son into the family last week and was enjoying a quiet day at home on Sunday when 3-year-old Bensen opened a window and fell 8-10 feet to the concrete.
"When I first got to him he was totally unconscious and I touched his chest (and said), 'Bensen, Bensen.' And he took a gasp but he was completely out of it," said Bensen's dad, Taylor Johnatakis.
Taylor's first instinct was to drive Bensen to the hospital, but he decided instead to call 911.
"Based on the child's fall, the height and what he landed on, the way the child was acting when we got on scene all played a factor in our decision to put him on a helicopter right away," said Lt. Mike Mock of North Kitsap Fire and Rescue.
Medics loaded Bensen into a helicopter, and Taylor rushed to make the next ferry. When he got to the Kingston terminal, the boat was already sold out. After explaining his situation, ferry workers got him on board and he made it in time to see Bensen as doctors wheeled him into surgery.
Taylor said he's grateful Bensen was able to be airlifted to the hospital and said the move likely saved the boy's life.
"I do think it was a discussion we had right when we got on scene, do we want to have a helicopter because that's a choice we need to make early," said North Kitsap Fire and Rescue's Matt Thompson.
The choice paid off, because neurosurgeons soon found a ruptured artery. The surgery was successful, but Bensen faces quite the recovery.
"You can see it in his eyes, he's just hurting real bad," Taylor said.
Bensen is in intensive care in serious condition, but he does have something to look forward to once he recovers.
"He had mentioned that he had been to the fire station on a tour and we made a promise to him that when he came home, he can come back to the station, ride in the engine and honk the horn. We're excited that we get to fulfill that. That's pretty emotional," Thompson said.
The Johnatakis family just welcomed a new son into the family last week and was enjoying a quiet day at home on Sunday when 3-year-old Bensen opened a window and fell 8-10 feet to the concrete.
"When I first got to him he was totally unconscious and I touched his chest (and said), 'Bensen, Bensen.' And he took a gasp but he was completely out of it," said Bensen's dad, Taylor Johnatakis.
Taylor's first instinct was to drive Bensen to the hospital, but he decided instead to call 911.
"Based on the child's fall, the height and what he landed on, the way the child was acting when we got on scene all played a factor in our decision to put him on a helicopter right away," said Lt. Mike Mock of North Kitsap Fire and Rescue.
Medics loaded Bensen into a helicopter, and Taylor rushed to make the next ferry. When he got to the Kingston terminal, the boat was already sold out. After explaining his situation, ferry workers got him on board and he made it in time to see Bensen as doctors wheeled him into surgery.
Taylor said he's grateful Bensen was able to be airlifted to the hospital and said the move likely saved the boy's life.
"I do think it was a discussion we had right when we got on scene, do we want to have a helicopter because that's a choice we need to make early," said North Kitsap Fire and Rescue's Matt Thompson.
The choice paid off, because neurosurgeons soon found a ruptured artery. The surgery was successful, but Bensen faces quite the recovery.
"You can see it in his eyes, he's just hurting real bad," Taylor said.
Bensen is in intensive care in serious condition, but he does have something to look forward to once he recovers.
"He had mentioned that he had been to the fire station on a tour and we made a promise to him that when he came home, he can come back to the station, ride in the engine and honk the horn. We're excited that we get to fulfill that. That's pretty emotional," Thompson said.
