While they are portrayed as cute but despicable creatures in the movies, a Minion toy may have saved the life of a little girl in Colorado, KRON 4 has learned.
According to the report, the five-year-old was playing in her room on the third floor when she accidentally fell backwards outside of a three-story window. It was her Minion toy which cushioned her fall.
The girl had her arm broken due to the accident, but she was immediately treated by doctors and released from their care, the police report said. Inquisitr notes that the Minion toy was the "soft, plush variety," which prevented the deadly impact of the fall.
The popular toy is a small, bright yellow creature based on the movie franchise "Despicable Me," which first gained popularity back in 2010. The character's spin-off film, entitled "Minions," recently made box office magic as it earned $115.7 million during its opening weekend, according to Deadline.
Meanwhile, the little girl's accident has brought to light the issue of baby-proofing or child-proofing one's home.
Accidents around the house are more common than most people think. However, the risk can be reduced if parents become more pro-active in making sure that the house has been set-up with child-proofing devices, which can be bought from the grocery, home improvement shops, baby stores or online, as recommended by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
For instance, in this particular case, installing window guards or a safety net should have prevented the little girl from falling off the window. According to The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, buildings with more than three storeys are required to have these installed if there are children below the age of 10 years old in the family or if the house frequently receives kids as guests, such as young grandchildren staying at their grandparents' apartment for the summer.
Here are some child-proofing essentials suggested by the Consumer Product Safety Commission:
1. Installing safety latches and locks on cabinets or drawers in the kitchen and bathroom to keep kids from coming in contact with chemicals present in household cleaning products, medicines or sharp objects like knives. These items must always be out of reach for kids.
2. Installing safety gates to prevent falls and avert possible accidents on the stairs or in places around the house that the kids are not supposed to enter, such as the garage, where many of the father's tools are. Make sure that these safety gates have properly installed locks, one that a child can't open easily, but an adult can access with ease.
3. Installing door knob covers, child-proof door locks and even door stoppers to prevent kids from locking themselves in the room or accidently slamming their tiny hands on the door.
4. Installing socket caps so that curious children will not be at the risk of getting electrocuted.
