Young girl taken to hospital in critical condition after fall from 11th-floor balcony

A member of the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) looks over the edge of a balcony during an investigation following reports of a child falling from a highrise building in Alta Vista on Saturday, July 4, 2026. Photo by Spencer Colby /Postmedia

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Syed Rubel was one of the first to rush to the scene.

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He had been doing chores around his fifth-floor Alta Vista Drive apartment on Saturday, July 4, when he suddenly heard screaming outside.

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Rubel and his family were among the area residents who looked on as paramedics arrived and took a young girl to hospital in critical condition after she had fallen from an 11th-floor balcony at a highrise apartment building.

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“I still can’t forget it … it is very traumatic,” Rubel’s wife, Sadia Chowdhury, said later Saturday afternoon. “I won’t forget it for many years.”

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The Ottawa Paramedic Service took two calls about the incident at 11:22 a.m., a paramedic spokesperson said.

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After arriving at the scene at 1545 Alta Vista, paramedics found the girl on the grass bed outside the building.

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Members of the Ottawa Police Service investigate following reports of a child falling from a highrise building in Alta Vista on Saturday, July 4, 2026. Photo by Spencer Colby /Postmedia

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Two Ottawa police vehicles were still at the scene Saturday evening.

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“We’re still at the infancy of the investigation,” Sgt. J.F. Martin told the Ottawa Citizen in an interview at the location. “The good news is, the child is in stable condition right now and is being treated.”

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Martin said the girl had fallen from a balcony at the back of the highrise.

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“I am very worried,” Chowdhury said. “This is not the first time. Many have happened like this, especially with balconies.”

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Chowdhury said she doesn’t allow her two children, seven-year-old Dihan Syed and six-year-old Salman Syed, on the balcony.

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As parents of young, active children, Chowdhury and Rubel say they are terrified of what could happen.

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A member of the Ottawa Police Service uses a tape measure along a balcony during an investigation following reports of a child falling from a highrise building in Alta Vista on Saturday, July 4, 2026. Photo by Spencer Colby /Postmedia

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This was the fourth recorded serious incident in recent months that involved a child falling from a building in Ottawa.

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On the last day of May, a young girl was taken to the hospital after paramedics got a call informing them that the child fell from a residential building in Vanier. The child sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries, according to Ottawa Paramedic Service spokesperson Marc-Antoine Deschamps.

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Days later, in early June, a child was taken to the hospital with critical injuries after falling from a fourth-floor balcony of a residential building near Abbott Street in Stittsville.

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After that incident, the Ottawa police issued an advisory stating they had responded to three incidents involving young children falling from highrise buildings in the past month.

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Members of the Ottawa Police Service investigate following reports of a child falling from a highrise building in Alta Vista on Saturday, July 4, 2026. Photo by Spencer Colby /Postmedia

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“These events are devastating and highlight how quickly and unexpectedly falls can occur,” the statement said.

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Safety measures suggested by police at that time included:

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