A growing number of dresser tip over accidents are ending in significant injuries or even in the worst cases the deaths of small children.

According to a consumer activist report in 2016, one child dies every two weeks from various furniture and appliances tipping over. In many cases, these are dresser tip over accidents.

Dresser tip over accidents are some of the most common instances of child death and injury from furniture.

According to an ABC7 Chicago report, Kids in Danger and Underwriters Laboratories are working to raise awareness about the risk of dresser tip over accidents and other furniture accidents. According to KID, “current safety standards, which are voluntary, are dangerously inadequate” to protect kids from dresser tip over accidents.

These voluntary safety standards involve very minimal testing, adding 50 pounds of weight to furniture and not testing on carpet, which is a less stable flooring. With these standards, only 9 of 19 dressers passed the safety tests. With enhanced standards (70 pounds of added weight) only two dressers passed.

Some dressers are made with the risk of dresser tip over accidents in mind. Indeed, some dressers are made so that only one drawer can be opened at a time, meaning that the dresser is pushed less off balance. Dressers that are anchored to walls or given wider bases can also prevent dangerous dresser tip over accidents.

In 2016, millions of IKEA brand dressers were recalled voluntarily after six children were reported to have died from dresser tip over accidents associated with the furniture.

Besides children, another at-risk group for dresser tip over accidents and other issues is the elderly.

A report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) was issued in 2016 over furniture tip over injuries, finding that more than 30,000 people go to the emergency room each year for dresser tip over accidents and similar problems. Unfortunately, some of these accidents can cause serious injuries or even be fatal.

Indeed, between 2000 and 2015, nearly 500 deaths have been reported due to these incidents. 84 percent of those deaths involved children, and another 12 percent involved seniors 60 and older. Only three percent of fatalities involved non-senior adults.

Large furniture prone to topping over includes dressers, cabinets, and bookshelves. There are only so many reasonable safety precautions that consumers can take. Many claim that the manufacturers of this furniture should take responsibility and improve their own standards in order to best protect customers.

Filing a Lawsuit Over Dresser Tip Over Accidents

Lawsuits allege that the manufacturers of the products involved in dresser tip over accidents and other furniture injuries should be held responsible for defects, poor manufacture and design, and inadequate safety measures.

If you or someone you love has suffered or died from dresser tip over accidents, you may be able to file a lawsuit and receive some sort of compensation. Of course, filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by these accidents or bring a loved one back to life, but it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses and lost wages.