By Joe Anuta
The family of a 3-year-old girl who fell out a window of a Woodside apartment held a funeral Tuesday night.
The child, Rusroshi Barua, tumbled out of a fifth-story bathroom window Sunday at about 2:30 p.m. after she and her sister became locked in the bathroom, according to police and multiple reports. When the superintendant of the building got the bathroom door open, Rusroshi was not inside.
Police arrived at the scene and found the girl in the back of the building. She was pronounced dead a few hours later.
The service was held at Park Hill Funeral Home in Ozone Park.
Vahida Gilic lives on the same floor as the Bangladeshi family and attended the funeral along with another neighbor.
“It’s sad,” said Gilic, who has a 4-year-old child. “It makes you appreciate life a little more. And if you have kids, it really hits you.”
One of Gilic’s neighbors posted two notes on the front door of the building, at 53-01 32nd Ave. One showed information about the funeral. The other read, “In these times of sadness, let’s join together to help our neighbors. Pass on generosity.”
A small memorial had been set up near the corner of the building, but few of the buildings’ tenants attended Tuesday night’s service, Gilic said.
The window that Rusroshi fell from did not have safety bars installed, which are required by law if an apartment is home to any children under the age of 10, according to the city Department of Housing. Building owners are required to send annual notices to tenants or occupants to determine if window guards are required, the department said.
It was not known whether the family had requested window guards or filled out the annual notices.
“Each year young children are injured or die in falls from unguarded windows. These are preventable deaths and injuries,” the department’s website reads. “Owners have a responsibility to ensure that window guards are properly installed.”
The department inspected the residence Sunday, and issued a violation for the missing window guards. There were not complaints made before the fall.
Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
