A Texas mom is warning other parents about the dangers that heavy objects pose to children. They may seem to be out of reach, but that doesn’t mean they’re safe.
Back on one fateful night in 2013, she put her 4-year-old son to bed and thought he was asleep until she heard a loud crash coming from his room. She and her husband ran to see what had happened, only to find that their 32-inch television had fallen on top of their boy. Apparently, he’d knocked the TV stand with his legs, causing the entire unit to tip over. He was unresponsive, and the parents say he was starting to turn blue. He spent five days in a coma and was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, which still causes him problems to this day.
The tragedy that happened to this family isn’t a freak accident. A study conducted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission found that 38,000 people go to the emergency room every year because of tipping furniture. Of those, two-thirds are under the age of five. That same study concluded that a child is killed by furniture every two weeks.
Experts advise parents to keep heavier items low to the ground or bolt them to the wall. Also, they recommend locking drawers so that children can’t climb on them.
If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury because of an unstable piece of furniture, an attorney may be able to help you get the compensation you need to pay for medical expenses.
Source: kxan.com, “Mom warns parents after TV fell on son, causing traumatic brain injury,” January 3, 2017