Children continue to suffer injuries from a falling TV or other furniture that tips over on them.

According to the CPSC, one child dies every two weeks when a television, piece of furniture, or an appliance falls on the child. So many children have been injured that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has started Anchor It, a campaign to convince consumers to anchor their televisions and dressers to the wall.

Sixty percent of child victims of fallen furniture are crushed. Every hour, three children in the U.S. are injured from preventable accidents when an unanchored hazard falls upon them, says the CPSC.

Falling TV Hits with Powerful Force

A piece of furniture such as a falling TV can strike a child with a force that is 10 times more powerful than a hit by an NFL lineman, according to recent CPSC research.

“With an impact force equivalent to thousands of pounds, no child is a match for falling TVs or furniture,” says the CPSC website. “Fortunately, simple and low-cost steps can prevent tip-over incidents.”

While old CRT televisions are heavier than the new flat-screen televisions, the latter tip over more easily because they lack the low center of gravity of the older models. To prevent falling TVs, the CPSC recommends anchoring flat screen televisions to the wall.

Two problems compound the issue of keeping children safe in the household, though. Many times, families just don’t think an accident will happen to them, so they simply don’t take the time to anchor potentially dangerous furniture.

The second issue is that many recalled pieces of furniture still sit in consumers’ homes. In June 2016, Ikea issued a recall of 29 million chests of drawers and dressers that tip over too easily. Due to a design flaw, consumers can return the dressers for a full or partial refund. Any consumer who wishes to keep the dresser was given an option of ordering a free anchoring kit.

If the consumer was uncomfortable installing the anchoring kit, Ikea allows an employee to visit the home to secure the dresser to the wall.

Unfortunately, too few consumers have either not become aware of the recall or have ignored it.

The CPSC and Ikea issued a press release saying the Idea dressers pose “a serious tip-over and entrapment hazard that can result in death or serious injuries to children.”

Still, the Consumer Federation of America and other non-profit safety organizations say they are dissatisfied with Ikea’s efforts to reach affected consumers regarding the recall after learning only three percent of the affected products had been repaired or returned months after the announcement. A letter to the Consumer Product Safety Commission says, “These unsecured dressers are ticking time bombs in our children’s bedrooms and homes. Rather than move on with new versions of the tainted Malm name and sweep the recall under the rug, Ikea must do everything it can to retrieve its faulty dressers.”

After falling Ikea dressers allegedly killed three young boys, their families settled a $50 million Ikea lawsuit in 2017.

If someone in your family has been injured or killed by a falling TV, furniture or appliance, you could be eligible for compensation through legal representation.