IKEA Recalls Millions of Dressers after 2 Children are Killed
A risk of tipping has caused global furniture retailer IKEA to recall a popular model of chests and dressers. Through the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the Swedish furniture manufacturer issued a notice of recall for the MALM bedroom furniture line due to the chance that the dressers and chests of drawers can tip over and crush children if they are not adequately anchored to the wall. Reports indicate that at least two children were killed when MALM furniture tipped over onto them in 2014. IKEA has also disclosed that it has received 14 other reports of the dressers tipping over and injuring at least four, and killing three other individuals, since 1989. Included in the recall are the MALM chests and dressers, as well as any other IKEA children’s chests and dressers taller than 23 ½ inches, and IKEA adult chests and dressers taller than 29 ½ inches. The dressers and chests for which the recall notice was issued were sold beginning in 2002. Customers who have purchased the dressers and chests who have not already anchored them to the wall should immediately call the toll-free hotline created by IKEA to order a free wall anchoring kit, and use it to secure the dresser to the wall.
According to the CPSC, in February of 2014, a 2-year-old boy from West Chester, Pennsylvania was killed when a six-drawer MALM dresser tipped over, pinning the child to his bed. In another incident in June of 2014, a 23-month-old child in Snohomish, Washington became trapped under a three-drawer MALM dresser and died.
Tip-over injuries are common but believed to be underreported due to the fact that children are often playing alone when the furniture tips and falls onto the child. The CPSC estimates that a child is killed in a tip-over incident once every two weeks. The international ASTM safety standards are guidelines for furniture safety and tip-over resistance, but manufacturers are not required to meet the standards. These standards dictate that, when drawers are extended, the dresser can remain upright with 50 pounds of force being exerted on the drawer. The standards also recommend including an anchoring kit with dressers and chests, which would also help prevent tip-over incidents.
Furniture makers have an obligation to design and manufacture safe products, and you have a right to trust that the products you buy won’t hurt you or a family member. If your child has been injured by a defectively designed or manufactured product, you may be entitled to recover for your injuries and expenses for that faulty item via a products liability lawsuit. Contact the Wayne personal injury law firm Massood Law Group for a consultation on your product liability claim at 888-4MB-HURT.
