Photo: Getty
With reports of children being killed from falling furniture — including a 2-year-old boy in California who died in 2017and whose parents recently settledwithIkeafor millions — many parents are wondering what they can do to make sure their own kids are safe from similar incidents.
According to Dr. Gary Smith, a pediatrician and spokesperson for theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics, “We see these injuries most often in children who are age 5 and younger. The most devastating injuries can be injuries to the brain or when a child becomes pinned beneath a heavy piece of furniture and suffocates.”
“The most important thing for parents to know is that these injuries are totally preventable,” he adds.
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Thegroup urges parents tomount flat-screen televisions to the wall if possible, and push any heavy devices that may have to go on a low-standing piece of furniture more out of reach (i.e., toward the back as opposed to the front).
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“We miss him so much,” the Dudeks, who are from Buena Park, California, said in a statement to the outlet via their lawyer. “He would be turning 5 years old this April.”
A spokesperson for Ikea added to theNYT, “While no settlement can alter the tragic events that brought us here, for the sake of the family and all involved, we’re grateful that this litigation has reached a resolution.”
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“We remain committed to working proactively and collaboratively to address this very important home safety issue. Again, we offer our deepest condolences,” Ikea’s statement continued.
It’s not the first time one of Ikea’s dressers has crushed a child to death, but little Jozef was the first one to die after Ikea issued avoluntary recall of millions of dressersin 2016,USA Todayreported.
The recall came after six children were killed and 36 others were injured, PEOPLE previously reported.
source: people.com
