Girl dies in fall in Toronto

BELLEVUE — A 5-year-old girl, reportedly from Bellevue, died Saturday after falling 22 stories from the balcony of a Toronto condominium high-rise.

The girl was visiting Canada with her father when she fell from the Yonge St. building, said Detective Martin Vandall, of the Toronto Police Department. The father was in town to visit relatives and attend a Baha'i religious convention in Oakfield, Ontario, Vandall said. The girl's mother lives in British Columbia. Vandall said the victim's name is not being released while the investigation continues.

The Hospital for Sick Children pronounced the girl dead soon after she arrived at 10:45 a.m., a spokeswoman said. Canadian authorities regularly keep details of routine investigations secret until suspicious circumstances are ruled out, the spokeswoman said.

SEATTLE — A 50-year-old Seattle woman who was severely injured in an Aug. 18 fire was upgraded to serious condition at Harborview Medical Center.

The woman, who suffered burns over 50 percent of her body, is believed to have started the blaze in the 10th-floor apartment on Eighth Avenue and Madison Street. The fire caused $10,000 worth of damage, according to the Seattle Police Department.

Helicopter pilot escapes crash without injury

CARNATION — The 46-year-old pilot of a helicopter walked away yesterday after crashing near the Carnation Golf Course.

The Issaquah man was practicing an emergency landing maneuver in an open field just south of Northeast Tolt Hill Road near the Fall City-Carnation Road Northeast when the helicopter tail hit the ground and broke off, said Eastside Fire and Rescue spokeswoman Josie Williams. The man, who was the only person aboard, was not injured.

Sleeping man hospitalized after falling from car

WOODINVILLE — A 60-year-old Everett man was in satisfactory condition yesterday after falling out of a car that was driving in the car-pool lane on Interstate 405.

At about 5:15 p.m., Kenneth Thompson was asleep in the front passenger seat of a car traveling north near the Northeast 160th Street exit when he leaned against the door and fell out, said State Patrol spokeswoman Monica Hunter. Thompson was not struck by any other vehicles. Thompson was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where he was being treated for abrasions.

Seattle ethics panel names new executive director

SEATTLE — The Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission has appointed Terry Thomas as its new executive director.

Thomas is a lecturer at the University of Washington, where he teaches business law and ethics. Before that he worked for Boeing as an attorney and in a variety of sales and marketing positions before becoming the company's ethics director.

In his new job, Thomas will head the city office that monitors campaign contributions and handles investigations of city employees and elected officials accused of unethical behavior. That work is overseen by an independent, seven-member commission, which voted to hire Thomas at a salary of $88,000 last week. Thomas replaces Carolyn Van Noy, who recently retired.

Times staff and news services