A grieving mother has filed a lawsuit against IKEA after the tragic death of her 2-year-old son. The wrongful death claim was filed after the boy was crushed under one of the chain’s dressers, and the mother believes that the furniture chain was negligent. Pennsylvania readers will note that the dresser was sold without any anchoring equipment with which to secure it to the wall.
The lawsuit states that the furniture maker should have provided the hardware needed to secure the vertical dresser. Allegedly, IKEA was aware that these dressers had a higher chance of tipping over than other pieces of furniture. By failing to provide the needed safety equipment to alleviate the risk of the preventable hazard, the company may have failed to protect the safety of customers.
Falling furniture is not an uncommon type of household accident. It is estimated that a child dies every two weeks from an accident involving furniture. IKEA now has a page discussing the risk of falling furniture, including safety and prevention tips. It is not clear if this addition to the website was a reaction to the lawsuit or the deadly accident involving one of the company’s dressers.
No amount of money will undo the tragedy of the boy’s death, but wrongful death compensation may alleviate some of the financial suffering that the family has endured. Medical bills and funeral costs can quickly become an unmanageable burden, but grieving Pennsylvania families do not have to suffer alone. A civil claim against a negligent party is a viable means by which a victim can hold a negligent party accountable for its actions.
Source: Montgomeryville-Lansdale, Pa. Patch, “Pa. Woman Suing IKEA for Son’s Death“, Kara Seymour, May 26, 2015