Another child has been crushed by the same type of IKEA furniture.
A 22-month-old child, Ted McGee, from Minnesota died after a Malm chest of drawers fell on him. He died on Feb. 14, according to reports on Wednesday.
“They didn’t hear the dresser fall,” attorney Alan Feldman told Philly.com. “They didn’t hear Ted scream.”
Both IKEA and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission are looking into McGee’s death.
The boy is the third child to died after being crushed by Malm furniture. A 2-year-old boy from Philadelphia died in February 2014 when a chest fell on him. Later in 2014, a 23-month-old child in Washington was killed when a chest tipped over.
Following the boy’s death, IKEA sent out another safety warning about the Malm furniture range.
An IKEA spokesperson said: “We at IKEA offer our deepest condolences to the McGee family. At IKEA, we believe children are the most important people in the world and the safety of our products is our highest priority. Upon being informed of this incident IKEA US immediately reported it to the authorities and an investigation is taking place. IKEA US has been advised that the product was not attached to the wall, which is an integral part of the products’ assembly instructions,” reported The Guardian.
According to the statement, IKEA said that furniture needs to be secured to the wall, the Metro reported.
It said: “With our broad communication we want to create awareness that IKEA chests of drawers are safe to use when assembled according to the assembly instruction and attached to the wall.”
“We have also decided to heavily invest in innovation, product development and testing, leading to innovative solutions to further increase stability. This will be made in collaboration with consumer authorities and other stakeholders.”
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