Hello!

9 Comments

IKEA bosses have issued another warning after a boy was crushed by a set of drawers.

The company first issued a warning back in July after two children were killed when drawers and wardrobes fell on them.

Now another child has been killed in America, it’s the third time the Malm range has been involved in fatal tipping incidents.

In a report by journalist Tricia Nadolny, of The Philadelphia Inquirer, mum Janet McGee had reportedly put her 22-month-old son Ted down for a nap and was checking on him every 20 minutes.

When she opened the door and found his empty bed, she assumed he was hiding – until she spotted the six-drawer dresser on the floor, on top of her son.

Parents are being urged to make sure they use the fittings that come with the furniture to fix it to the wall.

A spokesman for IKEA said: “We at IKEA offer our deepest condolences to the McGee family.

“At IKEA, we believe children are the most important people in the world and the safety of our products is our highest priority.

“Upon being informed of this incident IKEA US immediately reported it to the authorities and an investigation is taking place.

“IKEA US has been advised that the product was not attached to the wall, which is an integral part of the products’ assembly instructions.”

He added: “We wish to emphasise that the best way to prevent tip-over of chests of drawers is to attach products to the wall with the included restraints and hardware per the assembly instructions.

“IKEA has included restraints with our chest of drawers for decades, and wall attachment is an integral part of the assembly instructions.”

A two-year-old boy from Pennsylvania, in America, died in February 2014 when a Malm chest fell on him and pinned him to a bed.

Three months later, a 23-month-old child from Washington was killed in when a three-drawer Malm chest tipped over.

This video which originated in the US highlights how shockingly easy it is for a toddler to be killed while they innocently play around the home.

Safety first! Always remember to strap your furniture securely to the wall so it can’t topple over on a child.

Share your comments below.

Image via Shutterstock

We may get commissions for purchases made using links in this post. Learn more.
  • Awful ! This can happen with lots of type of furniture, not only from Ikea.

    Reply

  • Sad, so sad. There are instructions clearly saying they need to be fixed to the wall for safety reasons.

    Reply

  • Oh god, yes this can happen please do not put tv’s on drawers

    Reply

  • So dangerous! This is why I don’t have ikea furniture

    Reply

  • There is instructions in the booklet that comes with their furniture stating that it should be anchored to a wall or other solid object that can’t be moved.

    Reply

  • Just shocking! How terrible to find your child under a piece of furniture :/ I hope they fix this asap

    Reply

  • Not just chests of drawers – plasmas / large tvs etc are also another item that often falls on children. Can’t be too careful

    Reply

  • It’s such an important issue. We hear still too often of accidents for not strapping the furniture to the wall.

    Reply

  • I had a wardrobe fall on me when I was eight years old, and by some miracle I was unhurt. What a tragedy to lose a child this way.

    Reply

Post a comment
Add a photo
Your MoM account


Lost your password?

Enter your email and a password below to post your comment and join MoM:

You May Like

Loading…

Looks like this may be blocked by your browser or content filtering.

↥ Back to top

Thanks For Your Star Rating!

Would you like to add a written rating or just a star rating?

Write A Rating Just A Star Rating
Join