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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A 15-month old boy who fell 11 stories from a Minneapolis high-rise is expected to survive.
Doctors, family and community members are dubbing Musa Dayib "the miracle baby," but the toddler still must recover from some very severe injuries, including fractures and a concussion, according to the Star Tribune. He was in critical but stable condition Tuesday, said Christine Hill, a spokeswoman for Hennepin County Medical Center.
"If you and I fell that far, we would be dead," Dr. Tina Slusher said from the pediatric intensive care unit at Hennepin County Medical Center. "He's a baby and he happened to land on a very small patch of mulchy area. He's a kid. So they tend to be more flexible and pliable than you and I would be. Having said that, it's a real gift from God that he made it because this is a huge fall."
A group of Somali-Americans who live in the area quickly gathered as emergency workers treated him and an ambulance took him to the hospital, said local community activist Abdirizak Bihi, who spent part of Monday at the hospital with the family.
"When people found out he survived, no one could believe it," Bihi said.
The parents remain in shock, Bihi said.
"I'm more concerned about his dad and his mother," he said. "They're devastated. They can't even speak."
In a statement released by hospital officials, the parents said they were thankful for the "continued prayers for Musa and his family at this time."
Bihi said the child's mother was running errands while his father watched the boy and his 3-year-old sister. The father had gone briefly into another room when the boy fell, he said.
"It took place in less than a minute," Bihi said. "The grandmother told me that the daughter opened the balcony door."
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