Grafton woman charged after child under her care fell from 2nd-story deck and had to be transported to the hospital while she slept – WBOY.com

GRAFTON, W.Va. A woman has been charged after a child under her care fell from a second-story deck and had to be transported to the hospital while she slept, officers said.

According to a criminal complaint, on September 23, officers with the Grafton Police Department were dispatched to a residence on Long Street in Grafton in reference to a child falling from a second-story deck.

When officers arrived on the scene, they contacted the caller who told them that her husband had been outside and cleaning his truck when he saw children playing on the back deck of the residence, officers said.

The witness told officers that her husband saw the children throwing toys off the deck into the backyard, then saw one of the children, approximately 1-2 years in age, fall through the railing, according to the complaint.

The child landed on a concrete slab below the deck, and the witness and her husband went over to render aid to the child; while the witness was tending to the child, her husband was beating on the door to attempt to make contact with anyone inside, officers said.

At that point, the witness said one of the children claimed that there was someone asleep inside, and the witness then took the injured child to her porch, according to the complaint, and before law enforcement arrived on the scene, Julie Truax, 25, of Grafton, approached the witness, according to the complaint.

When Truax arrived, she brought items to change the childs diaper, but when the witness informed Truax that she had called 911, Truax got upset and told [the witness] she was f***ed up for calling 911, officers said.

EMS then transported the child to Grafton City Hospital, but Truax had already left the scene and returned to her home, and officers called the child abuse hotline; the child was later taken to the WVU Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, according to the complaint.

When officers observed the diaper Truax had changed, it was completely saturated with urine and when the [witness] had picked the child up she stated her side was wet with urine, officers said.

Medical records from Grafton City Hospital and Ruby Memorial Hospital both confirm head trauma, a skull fracture to the left side and that the injury is consistent with his fall from the deck, according to the complaint.

The child also had had a bruise on the left side of [his] back, a mark on the right side of his chest, abrasions on his right leg, and what appears to be diaper rash, officers said.

Truax has been charged with child neglect resulting in injury. She is currently being held in Tygart Valley Regional Jail.

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Grafton woman charged after child under her care fell from 2nd-story deck and had to be transported to the hospital while she slept - WBOY.com