IKEA Forced To Take Action After 2 Children Die From Falling Furniture
WHITE MARSH, Md. (WJZ) -- Swedish furniture retailer IKEA is doing what it can to make its products safer after two children are killed from falling drawers and dressers.
WJZ's Jessica Kartalija reports, while IKEA isn't issuing a recall, they are helping customers make the products safer.
About half a million tip-over injuries have been identified by the Consumer Product Safety Commission since 2000, in addition to 430 fatalities.
More than 80 percent of victims were children.
23-month-old Curren Collas has beautiful blue eyes and a sweet laugh.
In Feb. 2014, Curren died when an IKEA dresser fell on him.
Alan Feldman is representing the Collas family in a civil lawsuit against IKEA.
"This is a problem, a concern, and it is long past the time when companies like IKEA address the problem," Feldman said.
Current was the second reported death in 2014, that makes 5 known deaths related to MALM chest of drawers.
Elliot Kaye, the chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, says this is a growing problem.
Every year emergency rooms see an average of 38,000 tip-over injuries that includes TVs and furniture.
In the span of two years, 360 children died from tip-overs.
Until all the companies get on board, parents need to anchor their furniture.
In a statement, IKEA said they are "Committed to helping raise the awareness of this serious home safety issue."
IKEA is also giving out free anchoring kits to owners of the chests and 20 million other dressers as a part of the national repair program.
An IKEA spokesman says all of the company's products are tested for safety and include a warning in the instructions materials that items can fall over if not secured to the wall.
