Parents warn about window safety after toddler fractures skull in accident
Last Wednesday, two-year-old Sophie Ainsworth (pictured) was visiting her grandparents in The Ridge in Cold Ash, when, at about 12pm, she opened and fell out of her cousin's first floor bedroom window.
She landed on a brick path 11 to 14 feet below, suffering a fractured skull and eye socket.
She was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital by Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance, which landed in the Community Orchard next to the house.
The ambulance crew took her the 40 miles to Southampton in 15 minutes where she had an operation the following day to alleviate her compressed skull fracture and fix her eye socket.
She was finally discharged on Monday, just five days after the accident.
Her mother, Catriona Reeves, aged 38, said: “We are so grateful to TVAC Air Ambulance and all the medical teams involved in her treatment at Southampton General Hospital, especially Children's Neurosurgery, for ensuring that we still have this wonderful, crazy girl in our lives.
"My family have bought new locks for the first floor windows, and we're checking our own windows at home in Newbury
"Sophie has always been more adventurous and inquisitive than her brother and cousins, and it's always been a challenge to "Sophie-proof" the world.
"Her accident shows that unforeseen events like this can happen to the most attentive of families; and I'd urge all parents - and grandparents - to double check that their windows really are as difficult for small children to open as they assume."
Sophie still needs to have her eye fully checked, and her fractures will take six weeks to fully heal, but he family is hoping she will be able to start at Cold Ash Preschool after half term; just a couple of weeks later than intended.
She has suffered no brain injury, in the accident and other than her head, she did not receive even the slightest bruise elsewhere.
Sophie's family is now hoping to raise funds for the TVAC Air Ambulance, which relies entirely on charitable donations, and the Children's Neurosurgery team at Southampton General Hospital as a way of saying thank you.
A date has yet to be formalised (depending on Sophie's recovery) but once she is well enough, Sophie will walk once around the Acland Hall recreation ground in Hermitage Road, Cold Ash, while her brother George, aged nine and cousin Zahra Kourani, aged nine will race round it five times to raise funds.
Ms Reeves added: "It will be nice if we can show Sophie in future years that something positive came out of her accident, and that her family and friends were able to say thank you to those who helped her."
To sponsor Sophie, George and Zahra, visit
TVAC Air Ambulance is currently trying to raise funds to have specialist doctors on board its flights.