Major furniture and home goods retailer, Ikea, has issued a safety recall of their MALM 6 drawer and 4 drawer chests. The company has been implicated in three wrongful death lawsuits involving children who were killed when their MALM dresser tipped over on top of them.
According to Ikea, over 29 million MALM dressers have been sold. After the company became aware of the first death involving their dresser make, they began sending notices to owners about a free anchoring kit available for their furniture. The company has continually stated that their dressers are safe for use when anchored to the wall.
Wrongful Death Lawsuits
Ikea was accused in the wrongful death of Curren Collas in February 2014. Curren was found in his room with a MALM dresser toppled on to him, trapping him between the dresser and his bed. It wasn’t until this child was lost that Ikea began issuing safety notices about the potential for tipping. They have been selling this model of dresser since the mid-1980’s. It took the wrongful death of two more children for them to begin issuing free anchor kits to their consumers. After the manufacturer only had 300,000 requests for anchor kits, it made the decision to fully recall all models of the MALM dresser. The company has maintained claims that the childrens’ parents are partially responsible for their wrongful death by not anchoring the units to the wall.
Many consumers are unaware that a child is sent to the emergency room every 24 minutes due to a dresser falling on top of them. Ikea is not the only manufacturer guilty of wrongful death and personal injury as a result of a dresser falling. Here are a few tips on how to keep your kids safe from injury by a falling dresser:
- Use anchors to secure the furniture to the wall
- Do not place heavy objects no TVs on top
- Be sure to place all heavy items in the bottom drawers
- Never let a child hang on or climb any drawers, doors or shelves on the furniture
If you own one of the recalled MALM dressers, you can obtain your free anchoring kit here. The company is also issuing refunds for people who cannot anchor the units. Our office is constantly trying to stay current on all safety concerns.
If one of your loved ones has been injured or suffered a wrongful death as a result of a tipping dresser, call our firm today at 314-862-7222 to discuss your legal rights.
