How Many Children Are Injured By Toppling Furniture?

• July 9, 2024
• Attorney David Mann
• Personal Injury

When children start moving around, either by crawling or walking, they surely are difficult to keep up with!  One second they are right in front of us, and the next, they disappear into another room.  Almost every room in your home has furniture in it and sometimes the children will start climbing the furniture.  If the furniture falls on them, they could sustain serious injuries.  But how often does this happen?  How many children are injured by toppling furniture?

Furniture Toppling Is More Common Than You Think

According to a 2022 report by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, between 2018 and 2020, an average of 22,500 Americans went to the emergency room related to various toppling injuries; 44% of that number were children under 18 years old.

In addition, there were 581 fatalities from tip-overs from 2000 to 2022, 472 of which were children.  Also, tipped over televisions were involved in 71% of child fatalities.  The report did have good news though.  It said that between 2011 and 2020, there was a decline by 55% of all emergency room visits involving furniture tip-overs.  That said, children are still in danger of being injured by toppling furniture.

How Can You Keep Furniture From Toppling Over?

There are many ways to keep furniture from toppling over.  Utilizing these methods can help keep children safe from injury.  According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, you can take the following steps to protect your family from these hazards:

• Use anchors to secure furniture and TVs to the wall.  Anchoring furniture to the wall is one of the best ways to keep them from toppling.  Utilize the instructions that come with the furniture to anchor it properly.  If there are no instructions, go to www.anchorit.gov for the best methods to do so.
• Put TVs on a sturdy base and put the TV back to the wall as far as possible.  Sometimes floors can be unsteady and you might not even know it.
• Do not put heavy items, especially children’s toys, on furniture like bookcases where a child will be tempted to get them.  Children are curious by nature, and if they see an item that they want on a shelf that is out of reach, they will be tempted to climb to get it.
• Keep any wires away from children so they are not tempted to pull on them and topple the furniture.  Not only that, but young children put items in their mouths all of the time, so that is another reason to keep wires away from children.
• Make sure that you are always supervising your children.  While we understand that this is almost impossible to do at all times, especially if you have more than one young child roaming around the house, do your absolute best to always be where they are.
• Use a “drawer stop” so that children can’t pull drawers out all the way, which can cause toppling.  These can be purchased at a very cheap cost from a local hardware store and are just a small action you can take to prevent an injury to your child.

If you take the time to follow this advice, the chances of children toppling the furniture and getting injured is lower.

Some Injuries Caused By Toppling Furniture

Toppling furniture can cause serious injuries to children, especially if the furniture is heavy and has a lot of items on it.  Some of the most common injuries caused by toppling furniture include:

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
• Broken bones
• Crush injuries
• Abrasions and cuts
• Internal injuries
• Mental and psychological injuries
• Contusions
• Lacerations.

Be on the Lookout for Product Recalls

One of the best ways to prevent toppling furniture is to keep an eye out for products that have been recalled.  We often see it on the news, but they don’t report on all of the product recalls.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission keeps a database of every product recall on the market and it is important to keep abreast of any items that you purchased that may have been recalled.

For example, in February 2023, TJX issued a recall on their Aderes bookcases sold from October 2021 through March 2022 because of reports that the bookcases are unsteady and will topple if they are not properly anchored to the wall.

Also, LG Electronics issued a recall in January 2023 because their 86-inch free-standing smart TVs potentially have toppling issues.  These televisions were sold at Walmart, Best Buy, and Costco from March 2022 through September 2022.  According to the recall, LG Electronics asked customers to remove the leg stands and put the TV in a safe place where children could not get to it.

Call a Product Liability Attorney If Your Child Is Injured in a Toppling Furniture Accident

We hope that this blog post has answered some of your questions about how many children are injured by toppled furniture.  If your child has been injured by toppled furniture, the fault might lie in the manufacturer of the item.  It may not have been put together correctly if you bought it like that or the directions did not comply with industry standards.  You might be compensated for the negligence of others.

A company that sells furniture has the obligation to make sure that it is sturdy enough so that it doesn’t topple over and cause injuries.  The attorneys at the Mann Law Firm have been working with clients for a long time who have been injured by the negligence of others.  We understand the trauma that a parent can go through if their child is injured.  You deserve compensation for the manufacturer’s negligence.  So, contact the Mann Law Firm today at (478) 742-3381 for a free consultation.