Child Crushed by Recalled IKEA Dresser

Child Crushed by Recalled IKEA Dresser
The Europe's biggest Ikea store in Kungens Kurva, south-west of Stockholm on March 30, 2016. A toddler has been crushed by an IKEA dresser that was subject to recall. (JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images)
Jane Werrell
10/19/2017
Updated:
10/19/2017
A 2-year-old boy was crushed to death by an unsecured IKEA dresser, the same model that was recalled last May, the furniture giant said on Wednesday, according to reports.
It’s the first death since the furniture giant announced a recall of 29 million chests and drawers last year, and it’s the eighth death that is connected to the recalled dressers.
The toddler was killed by one of the recalled MALM dressers while he was taking a nap in his bedroom ABC reported. According to the family’s lawyer, the parents didn’t realize that the dresser had previously been recalled and they plan to file a lawsuit.
The family’s attorney, Daniel Mann, told The Inquirer that the death of Jozef, the 2-year-old boy, was “completely avoidable.”

Mann has previously represented parents of other children who have been crushed by unsecured IKEA dressers.

“What makes this death more heartbreaking is the fact that last year’s so-called recall was poorly publicized by Ikea and ineffective in getting these defective and unstable dressers out of children’s bedrooms across the country,” he said.

A spokesperson from the do-it-yourself furniture giant said to the news outlet, “Our hearts go out to the affected family, and we offer our sincere condolences during this most difficult time.”

The 29 million chests were recalled in 2016 because of a “serious tip-over hazard” according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

“The recalled chests and dressers are unstable if they are not properly anchored to the wall, posing a serious tip-over and entrapment hazard that can result in death or injuries to children,” it wrote in the recall announcement.

A 2-year-old boy from Pennsylvania died in February 2014 after a 6-drawer MALM fatally pinned him against his bed. A few months later, a 23-month-old boy from Washington died after being trapped beneath a 3-drawer MALM chest that tipped over.

After these incidents, IKEA announced a repair program that offered a free wall-mounting kit for its customers.

The recalled items include the MALM 3-drawer, 4-drawer, 5-drawer, and three 6-drawer models and other children’s and adult chests and dressers.

“Options available to consumers include having the chest removed free of charge from the consumers’ home, having the chest anchored to the wall in the home free of charge, receiving a free wall anchor kit for self-installation or returning the product for a refund,” a spokesperson for IKEA said in a statement sent to ABC.

“At the same time as communicating the recall, we are continuing to communicate the global IKEA Secure It! campaign to raise the awareness of the importance of wall attachment. Consumers who want to participate in the recall, can do the following: learn more about how to safely attach units to the wall, order a free replacement wall anchoring kit, visit our website www.ikea-usa.com, or can visit any IKEA store.”