Mother Issues Urgent Warning After Son’s Near-Death Experience from Household Accident

A South Carolina mother is urging parents to take extra precautions in their homes after a horrific accident left her four-year-old son on the brink of death, the Daily Mail reports.

Alyssa Dubois, a mother of four, is now calling for greater awareness of childproofing and first aid training after her son, Aceson, suffered a life-threatening injury when he was playing at their home in Charleston in March 2024.

The incident occurred during a game of cops and robbers when Aceson’s older sister, Aliah, “apprehended” him by tying his legs together. As a result, Aceson tripped and crashed through a sheet glass window, shattering it. The impact left him with a four-inch gash on his neck, which narrowly missed major blood vessels like the jugular veins. The severity of the injury left Alyssa in a panic, as blood gushed from the wound, and she feared for her son’s life.

Alyssa recalled the harrowing moment:

“He was waddling away as if he was being arrested, but the speed he was running and the weight meant he went straight through the window headfirst. I heard Aceson start to scream and ran to him, and saw blood everywhere. It was just spewing out of him.”

The cut, running from his mouth to his ear, was deep and perilously close to vital arteries. Aceson also suffered damage to his saliva gland and part of his ear, adding to the severity of the injury. The young mother, trained in healthcare, was able to act quickly, using materials from her home to stem the bleeding before emergency responders arrived.

“I thought he had hit a main artery and was going to die,” she said. “I grabbed his neck and pinched everything I could. I used the laundry that we had on the couch to stuff his neck and try to close the wound.”

After a two-hour emergency surgery at McLeod Regional Medical Center, Aceson’s wounds were stitched up, and he received a second surgery a week later to remove stitches. Remarkably, a year later, Aceson has made a full recovery, with no permanent nerve damage. However, both he and his mother have experienced emotional trauma as a result of the accident and are receiving counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Aceson, now five, is fearful of going near windows, while Alyssa is constantly anxious about her children’s safety. In response, she has taken measures to prevent a similar accident by removing the dangerous window and securing other windows with furniture.

Alyssa is now using her experience to warn other parents about the importance of childproofing their homes and gaining basic first aid knowledge. She emphasizes that being able to stop bleeding in an emergency can be lifesaving, advising parents to learn how to pack a wound—an essential technique for controlling bleeding and preventing infection.

Experts agree that childproofing can significantly reduce the risk of accidents. Common safety measures include securing heavy furniture to prevent tipping, covering sharp edges on furniture, installing safety latches on cabinets, and using baby gates to limit access to hazardous areas. For windows, parents are encouraged to use shatterproof glass and tape gymnastic mats or similar protective materials in high-risk areas.

Aceson’s traumatic experience is a stark reminder of the importance of home safety. Statistics show that each year, around 2,300 children under the age of 15 die from unintentional injuries at home, with millions more suffering accidents that could have been prevented. Childproofing could prevent an estimated 55% of such injuries among children aged 10 and younger.

Alyssa’s call to action highlights the need for vigilance and preparation.

“Learning how to properly pack a wound when there is uncontrollable bleeding is something every mom should know,” she said.