Recently I was reviewing an article in a publication of the American Association of Justice. It refreshed my memory concerning a case which I handled before and something that concerns me particularly considering I have three small children. The issue is the tip over dangers associated with dressers and other furniture which is often top heavy.

Years ago, I assisted a family recover from injuries after a wicker dresser tipped over on their minor child in a beach rental property. The hazard was increased because of the heavy television which was sitting on top of the dresser. The dresser fell, the child was struck in the head and the family vacation ended up resulting in an emergency trip to the Medical University in Charleston. These types of incidences are far too common. In my case, the landlord owed a duty to the vacationers to provide a safe premise. That included furniture that would not tip over. Liability in that case was fairly easy to prove. To gain an understanding of the magnitude of the danger, please see the notice from IKEA’s furniture recall through the following link.

I write this article simply as a reminder to all parents and family members who have small children in the home to be aware of tip over hazards. In my recent furniture purchases, I have noticed that manufacturers now place screws and brackets to allow you to anchor your furniture to the wall to prevent tip over hazards. This is a very real and serious hazard and I encourage you to exercise the precautions recommended by the manufacturer.

If of course you are the unfortunate victim of an injury from a tip over, please call our office to discuss your legal rights.

Article links:

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/customer-service/product-support/recalls/following-an-additional-child-fatality-ikea-recalls-29-million-malm-and-other-models-of-chests-pub4128a7af

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2016/following-an-additional-child-fatality-ikea-recalls-29-million-malm-and-other-models-of