You may have read about IKEA offering free wall-anchoring repair kits for their chests and dressers after two children died. In all, IKEA recalled about 27 million items. The fact is, every 24 minutes a tip-over accident involving a TV or other furniture injures a child in the U.S. That’s one child dying every two weeks from a tip-over tragedy. Because of this problem, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has started the Anchor It! campaign in order to educate parents and other caregivers about the dangers of tip-overs and how to prevent tip-over tragedies.
A Significant Problem
IKEA isn’t the only manufacturer selling furniture that could tip over and injure or kill a child. Another 2015 recall includes Pali. For those who buy in the secondhand market, older recalls include:
If you own any furniture by these manufacturers or sellers, we urge you to investigate further and to secure your furniture before heartbreak occurs.
Wider Problems
But there are bigger problems than furniture alone. Tip-overs are not limited to dressers and bookcases: 65 percent of fatalities involved large-screen TVs. When a TV falls, the force exerted can be thousands of pounds, ten times more powerful than experiencing a hit by an NFL lineman.
Head injuries are the most common injuries when a tip-over occurs. As you might expect, more than half of the injuries (57 percent) happened to those under 18, and two-thirds of all tip-overs involve toddlers. Distressingly, fatalities were overwhelmingly concentrated among children aged one month to 10 years—84 percent of all fatalities were in this age group.
Do Your Part to Prevent Injury
To prevent a tip-over tragedy, try these suggestions:
- Use sturdy furniture meant to hold something heavy for your TV, such as a properly-secured media center or TV stand.
- Televisions that are not mounted on the wall should be secured to the wall. This is especially true for flat-screen TVs.
- Secure all top-heavy or tall furniture, such as dressers, bookcases, and shelving.
- Store heavier items on the lower shelves or in lower drawers to help stabilize the item of furniture.
- Follow all manufacturers’ instructions for securing televisions and furniture.
- Remove tempting objects so that kids won’t try to climb the furniture or television. Toys and remote controls can be especially appealing to young children.
One final thing you can do is check the CPSC website for the latest in recall information.
How Can We Help You?
Simple safety steps like the ones mentioned above to prevent tip-overs can help keep your child from experiencing a serious injury. However, not all accidents can be prevented, so your child may still be at risk if another responsible party chooses to act in a negligent manner. Maryland child injury lawyer Steven H. Heisler understands how devastating any accident can be for a child to experience, and wants to help MD families obtain the compensation their child needs to recover. Interested in more information on whether you have a valid personal injury claim? Contact Baltimore attorney Steven H. Heisler today for a free case consultation at (410) 625-4878, or use our online contact form. Steve Heisler, The Injury Lawyer, wants to help you and your family.