A 5-year-old girl is in critical condition after falling from a fourth-floor apartment building balcony Friday in Lauderhill, officials said.
Lauderhill Fire Rescue responded at around 4:40 p.m. to the 1900 block of NW 46th Avenue.
Family members say the toddler is Mikala Augusma. Police say a 17-year-old relative was watching her and two other toddlers inside the home when Mikala got outside.
"At some point, the 5-year-old somehow got onto the balcony, and there is some furniture on the balcony and it appears the child just fell off the balcony," said Lt. Mike Santiago of the Lauderhill Police Department.
The girl hit the asphalt when she fell, police said. She was transported to Broward Health in critical condition.
Police were still interviewing witnesses and the 17-year-old as of Friday night. The girl's mother was at the store when her daughter fell.
"Kids cannot identify with danger. They don't know what it is," Santiago said. "They can't recognize it. So it's incumbent upon us, the adults to make sure these kids are safe."
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Investigators say it's too early to know whether anybody will face charges.
