By . Harriet Arkell . Lucky escape: Jonah Murphy, one, from Hebburn, South Tyneside, fell nine feet through the bannisters just as he had learned to walk . A baby's first attempt at walking ended in disaster after he fell through a gap in the bannisters and onto hard tiles on the floor below. Jonah Murphy, from Hebburn, South Tyneside, was playing in an upstairs bedroom when he decided to take his first steps unaided, two days before his first birthday. The stairgate was closed but he stumbled on the landing and plunged straight through a gap in the bannisters, falling nine feet onto the hall floor below. Jonah's parents heard the thud and called an ambulance, which took him to South Tyneside District Hospital where doctors diagnosed a fractured skull. After X-rays and a CT scan, Jonah was transferred to the neurology department at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary, where he spent two days. Now, nine days on from the fall, he is back at home with his parents Kelly, 33, and David Murphy, 39, and older brother, Flynn, five. The orbital bone above his left eye is slowly healing, and the only trace of his accident is a slowly fading black eye. Mrs Murphy said: 'He's doing great now and he's back on his feet, but I really thought we were either going to lose him, or if he survived, he wouldn't be the same little boy he was before. 'By some miracle, he's OK.' She said the accident happened on the first day the little boy began to walk unaided. 'He has been around that area a million times before when he was crawling and there have been no problems,' she said. 'When I saw him lying there on the floor, I thought that was it.' The accident happened when Mrs Murphy was in the kitchen and her husband, a Nissan manufacturing worker, was in an upstairs bedroom. The family had already checked to make sure the baby couldn't fit through the five inch gaps in the bannisters, but didn't realise the one nearest the wall was slightly wider than the rest. The Murphys say there was a towel hanging over the bannister, and believe the baby put his hands out for balance, thinking it was solid, and fell through. Scroll down for video . David Murphy, 39, and wife Kelly, 33, had measured the gaps in their bannisters but one was wider than the rest . Long way down: Jonah with his father in the spot the baby was found after falling from above . The bannisters just outside Jonah's bedroom - which lead to a safety gate - have now been boarded up . Mrs Murphy said: 'The safety gate was closed so we didn't think anything of it. 'I just heard this thud and I screamed, and swooped straight in to pick him up. I think it took a couple of seconds for Jonah to realise what happened and then he started screaming. 'When I heard the thud and saw him on the floor the towel was with him. I just don’t think he would have been able to get through crawling.' She added: 'Up until the results of the CT scan came in, we were scared that we were going to lose Jonah. It was horrific, but thankfully there was no bleeding on his brain. 'Now we just want to prevent this from happening to anyone else.' Back at home: The Murphys now want to warn other parents of the dangers of mobile children and bannisters .
Jonah Murphy was two days from his first birthday when he started to walk .
He tottered out of his bedroom and plunged through a gap in the bannisters .
Mother, Kelly Murphy, 33, from South Tyneside, said she heard a loud thud .
She and Jonah's father, Nissan worker David, 39, called an ambulance .
CT scan and X rays showed Jonah had a fractured skull but no bleeding .
Now the one-year-old is back at home and fine apart from a big black eye .
Mrs Murphy said: 'We checked bannisters but one gap is wider than rest'
By . Harriet Arkell . Lucky escape: Jonah Murphy, one, from Hebburn, South Tyneside, fell nine feet through the bannisters just as he had learned to walk . A baby's first attempt at walking ended in disaster after he fell through a gap in the bannisters and onto hard tiles on the floor below. Jonah Murphy, from Hebburn, South Tyneside, was playing in an upstairs bedroom when he decided to take his first steps unaided, two days before his first birthday. The stairgate was closed but he stumbled on the landing and plunged straight through a gap in the bannisters, falling nine feet onto the hall floor below. Jonah's parents heard the thud and called an ambulance, which took him to South Tyneside District Hospital where doctors diagnosed a fractured skull. After X-rays and a CT scan, Jonah was transferred to the neurology department at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary, where he spent two days. Now, nine days on from the fall, he is back at home with his parents Kelly, 33, and David Murphy, 39, and older brother, Flynn, five. The orbital bone above his left eye is slowly healing, and the only trace of his accident is a slowly fading black eye. Mrs Murphy said: 'He's doing great now and he's back on his feet, but I really thought we were either going to lose him, or if he survived, he wouldn't be the same little boy he was before. 'By some miracle, he's OK.' She said the accident happened on the first day the little boy began to walk unaided. 'He has been around that area a million times before when he was crawling and there have been no problems,' she said. 'When I saw him lying there on the floor, I thought that was it.' The accident happened when Mrs Murphy was in the kitchen and her husband, a Nissan manufacturing worker, was in an upstairs bedroom. The family had already checked to make sure the baby couldn't fit through the five inch gaps in the bannisters, but didn't realise the one nearest the wall was slightly wider than the rest. The Murphys say there was a towel hanging over the bannister, and believe the baby put his hands out for balance, thinking it was solid, and fell through. Scroll down for video . David Murphy, 39, and wife Kelly, 33, had measured the gaps in their bannisters but one was wider than the rest . Long way down: Jonah with his father in the spot the baby was found after falling from above . The bannisters just outside Jonah's bedroom - which lead to a safety gate - have now been boarded up . Mrs Murphy said: 'The safety gate was closed so we didn't think anything of it. 'I just heard this thud and I screamed, and swooped straight in to pick him up. I think it took a couple of seconds for Jonah to realise what happened and then he started screaming. 'When I heard the thud and saw him on the floor the towel was with him. I just don’t think he would have been able to get through crawling.' She added: 'Up until the results of the CT scan came in, we were scared that we were going to lose Jonah. It was horrific, but thankfully there was no bleeding on his brain. 'Now we just want to prevent this from happening to anyone else.' Back at home: The Murphys now want to warn other parents of the dangers of mobile children and bannisters .
days before his first birthday. The stairgate was straight through a gap in the bannisters, falling parents heard the thud and called an ambulance, which took him to South Tyneside District skull. After X-rays and a CT scan, Jonah was spent two days. Now, nine days on from the fall, he is back at home with his parents Kelly, 33, accident is a slowly fading black eye. Mrs Murphy The accident happened when Mrs Murphy was in the their bannisters but one was wider than the rest . The bannisters just outside Jonah's bedroom -