Lawyers investigate TV tip over claims as consumers seek compensation for injury from falling furniture. Persons who were injured by a piece of furniture falling may have a legal claim.

In some cases, companies like manufacturers and retailers can be held legally responsible for furniture pieces that fall over and cause injury to users, such as what happens in a TV tip over case. In some cases, violations of federal regulations of the size and weight of various furniture and appliances can eventually result in companies compensating customers for injury.

Between 2000 and 2015, almost 500 people died from TV tip over accidents, as well as other appliance tip overs. Sadly, the majority of the fatalities were children, followed by seniors.

There is a voluntary standard that dictates that any dresser taller than 30 inches should be able to remain upright with 50 pounds of weight hanging from an open drawer. However, as the standard is only a recommendation, independent manufacturers do not have to adhere to this guideline. Currently, there are no such specific legal standards that ensure the safety of furniture or require companies to adhere to specific weight guidelines.

Many big box stores adhere to the standard but are not required to. Independent manufacturers have been hit with legal claims over the allegedly unsafe nature of their furniture designs.

IKEA is one such manufacturer and has faced numerous lawsuits over furniture tip over in recent years. In fact, IKEA has had to recall dressers and other furniture that has been found to be prone to tipping, after several children were killed by IKEA dressers falling over.

However, even this voluntary standard is far from perfect. Consumer Reports tested the standard and determined that it is inadequate, still leaving much room for furniture to top over and injure people.

TV tip over accidents are one of the main sources of injury from falling appliances and furniture. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a child is sent to the emergency room every 30 minutes from an injury caused by a TV tip over. Additionally, one child is killed every ten days from being hit by a TV tip over. Research shows that TVs can fall with as much as 10,000 pounds of force.

Though TVs have gotten lighter over time, with the advent of taller and thinner flat-screens, the likelihood of TV tip over accidents has increased rather than decreased. The current, lighter models of TVs are more top-heavy than older box TVs, and therefore more likely to topple over.

In 2015, the CPSC launched an “Anchor It” campaign, to encourage consumers to anchor appliances and furniture, especially TVs to the wall so that they cannot fall on top of users and children.

The CPSC recommends that parents with young children actively test their furniture and appliances for tipping — they state that if an adult can pull something off of a shelf or topple a piece of furniture, a child may do the same, and if they succeed, may injure themselves.

Additionally, the CPSC encourages families to check and make sure that none of the furniture they own has been subject to safety recalls, especially recalls regarding tipping.