Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Pittsburgh toddler dies after falling from second-storey window

Henry ‘Hank’ Witucki, the son of a police officer, had been in intensive care

Abe Asher
Friday 09 September 2022 01:56 BST
Comments
Henry 'Hank' Witucki
Henry 'Hank' Witucki (GoFundMe)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The one-year-old son of a police sergeant in the Pittsburgh area has died after falling out of a second-storey window at his home in Plum Borough at the end of August.

Henry “Hank” Witucki had been in intensive care at the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh since suffering the fall on August 30. He died on September 3, surrounded by members of his family.

“As an organ donor, Hank was able to give the most precious gift – the gift of life,” a message on a GoFundMe page set up to support the Witucki family said. “Words could never show the appreciation for all of the love and support shown this past week, but it is much appreciated.”

Mr Witucki was the son of Clark Witucki, a police sergeant. Detectives from Plum Borough are investigating the fall that ended up costing the toddler his life, but it is not yet known whether any charges will be brought against anyone involved in the tragedy. The Cumberland Daily Voice reported that no charges appear to have been filed as of September 7.

The Witucki family was aiming to raise $10,000 through their GoFundMe; they’ve raised more than $60,000 to date with donations continuing to flow in as of Thursday. Community members have also launched a MealTrain page for the family to take care of their meal needs as they waited in the hospital with Hank. People have signed up to provide some 30 meals since September 1.

Jason Walsh, the mayor of the town of Dormont, Pennsylvania, posted a link to the GoFundMe page on Facebook last Friday.

“I’ve been speechless for days,” Mr Walsh wrote. “It’s an unimaginable situation and our thoughts and prayer go out to Sergeant Witucki’s Family.”

A number of people similarly posted words of support, love, and prayer along with their donation on the GoFundMe page.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in