Yreka child remains in Portland hospital

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July 03, 2008

By Paris Achen

Mail Tribune

A Yreka preschooler who fell from the second floor to the first at Kohl's department store in Medford's Rogue Valley Mall was awake and talking with her mother Wednesday, police said.

Reports Tuesday indicated Alexandra Martin, 4, had deteriorated from serious to critical condition, but a spokesperson for Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland said Wednesday morning that her condition had remained about the same. A shift change among the nurses may have accounted for the different reports on her condition, the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, a Medford police detective interviewed Kohl's employee Paula Baker, who tried to catch the child as she fell 25 feet near the store's escalator.

"She ran to try to catch her," said Medford police Lt. Tim Doney. "Their hands connected, but that was it. She missed her."

The child landed on her face.

She is being treated for a skull fracture, facial injuries and a broken left hand, Doney said.

The fall occurred as the child's mother, Amy Beal, of Yreka, and a friend were shopping with their daughters just after 9 p.m. Monday.

Alexandra became separated from her mother. Beal told police she had been looking for Alexandra when she saw people gathered around her near the base of the escalator, Doney said.

A barrier surrounds the escalator area, and it is not clear how Alexandra fell, Doney said, although she did not fall down the escalator.

Several people witnessed the fall, he said.

Medford resident Cassie Holmes said she was shopping in the men's clothing section when she heard a thump and people calling out for someone to call 9-1-1. She dialed 9-1-1 as she approached the scene.

"I initially thought it was an adult with a heart attack," Holmes said. "Then, I saw the little legs and the face bleeding out. It was awful."

Alexandra's uncle and aunt, Joe and Laurie Denney of Grants Pass, have established an account at Washington Mutual Bank in her name to help pay for medical expenses.

Reach reporter Paris Achen at 541-776-4459 or pachen@mailtribune.com.

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