A Bronx mother is crediting divine intervention for her son surviving a death-defying fall six floors from an apartment window.
Karter Christian is recovering from what witnesses have called a “miracle.” The 4-year-old had no noticeable injuries right after he slipped out a gap between the window frame and an air conditioner on April 5. However, he is now nursing a broken leg after falling onto the grass.
“That boy was still moving, and he was fighting,” said Jessica Lugo, who witnessed the incident. “I mean, God is good. That’s all I can say.”
Karter’s mother, Dominique Carter, said the boy kept pulling off tape and wood the family used to seal off the gap in the window at his home in Patterson Houses. She had cautioned him to stay away from the area.
The little boy was home with his father when she left to run an errand. Carter returned to a crowd running to her son as he tried to stand up after the six-story drop.
“I was just yelling. I was screaming,” Carter said, reportedly breaking into tears. “I couldn’t believe, my baby. I thought he was going to be gone. I was like, ‘Oh my God,’ I could not believe it. My heart.”
“God knows if my baby never made it I would have been so hurt,” Carter said. “So devastated. … He’s a fighter, he was meant to be here. My baby went through a lot.”
Lincoln Hospital doctors discovered the injury after an X-ray and were stunned by the toddler’s resilience.
“[The doctor] was like, ‘Oh, he’s fine,’ ” she told Daily News. “He has no scratches, nothing on it, and all I can do is thank God. He was talking. He was laughing. He just said he wants his juice. He wants his blanket.”
The New York City Housing Authority sent workers to the family’s home to install window guards the following day. The authority said it was not aware of any issues with the window.
“NYCHA is investigating this unfortunate incident and will work with the family to make sure that they have the services they need,” the agency said in a statement. “Upon initial review, window guards are present throughout the apartment where required and were last checked in February 2022, and there are no repair work orders on record for the air conditioners present in the residence.”
Karter was in good spirits while recovering in the hospital on April 6. His mother is unsure when he will return home, but she is grateful that he escaped the near-tragic accident with a minor injury.
“There’s an angel looking after him. … Someone is truly watching over my baby in heaven,” she said. “He has no scratches, nothing on him, and all I can do is thank God. Not a lot of babies that can [survive] six flights. My baby is a warrior.”
