From selecting the theme to picking out the small details, decorating a child's room is an exciting time for many parents. Texas Parents rely on companies to ensure that their products -- including children's furniture -- are safe and free from harm. Unfortunately, many companies continue to manufacture dangerous and defective products that put children at risk for injury and even death.
An out-of-state family suffered the loss of their 2-year-old toddler when an IKEA dresser tipped over. After laying the young boy down for a nap, his father later returned to his room and found that his son had been crushed underneath the dresser. This was sadly not the first instance of a dresser-related death, as he was the eighth child to die due to an accident involving an IKEA dresser.
IKEA initially recalled the involved dressers back in 2015 following the death of two small children. The company acknowledged the dressers can easily fall over and injure or kill children unless securely anchored to a wall. During the recall IKEA offered a refund for returned dressers or a free installation of an anchoring kit. The family claims that this recall was not adequately publicized and that there are still many more unsecured IKEA dressers in homes all over the country, putting more children in harm's way.
There is perhaps no greater pain for a parent than the loss of a child. While there is truly nothing that could ever replace the death of a child, companies in Texas and across the rest of the United States that produce defective products can be held responsible for their actions. Legal recourse -- including compensation for emotional trauma, funeral expenses and other damages -- can often be achieved through carefully pursued product liability claims.
Source: wcnc.com, "Toddler killed after recalled IKEA dresser crushes him", Mary Bowerman, Oct. 20. 2017