Florida Furniture Injury Attorney
Furniture is a necessary part of every household in Florida, and most consumers do not think about the risks associated with furniture and injuries. To be sure, when we are shopping for a new bookcase or desk, most of us are not thinking about the possibility of that piece of furniture tipping over and injuring someone in the house. Yet furniture is a common cause of serious and fatal injuries, especially among children. When furniture causes devastating accidents and injuries, the furniture company may be liable. If your child was injured by a furniture tip-over accident, you should get in touch with a Florida furniture injury attorney as soon as possible to find out more about filing a product liability lawsuit.
Furniture Tip-Overs in Florida: Get the Facts
Furniture tip-over accidents happen with much more frequency than you might think. The following are some key facts from Nationwide Children’s:
- More than 11,500 children went to emergency departments in 2019 to seek treatment for injuries caused by furniture tip-over accidents;
- Every 46 minutes on average in the U.S., a child sustains a serious injury in a furniture tip-over accident that requires a visit to an emergency department;
- Furniture tip-over accidents most commonly cause injuries to children under the age of 6 years old, with toddlers around the age of 2 sustaining the most injuries on average;
- Most common injuries in in furniture tip-over accidents are concussions and closed-head injuries, but young children can also be suffocated in furniture tip-over accidents;
- Older children can also be injured in furniture tip-overs, but older kids aged 10-17 most commonly sustain injuries to the lower body;
- Desks, cabinets, bookshelves, dressers, and TVs are most often responsible for furniture tip-over injuries;
- Furniture is most likely to tip over when it is unsecured because a child can pull over a piece of furniture;
- While unsecured furniture is most commonly involved in furniture injury incidents when a child pulls the furniture on top of themselves, tip-over accidents can also happen when a child pushes or climbs on a piece of furniture; and
- Adults can also sustain furniture injuries while moving furniture or putting together defective furniture pieces.
Tips to Prevent Furniture Tip-Over Injuries in Florida
What can we do to prevent furniture injuries? Consider the following tips from Nationwide Children’s:
- Always secure furniture to a wall that can be secured, including bookshelves and dressers;
- Buy furniture that has wide legs or solid bases;
- Put drawer stops on your dressers so kids cannot pull them all the way out and cause a tip-over accident;
- Put the heaviest items on the lowest shelves;
- Do not place children’s toys on high shelves, or any other items that may be attractive to a child; and
- Use safety straps to secure furniture that weighs up to 100 pounds.
Liability for Florida Furniture Accidents and Injuries
Designers, manufacturers, and retailers of dangerous furniture items involved in tip-over accidents may be responsible for injuries. Our firm can discuss the possibility of filing a product liability lawsuit.
Contact a Florida Furniture Injury Attorney
Our Florida furniture accident and injury lawyers can begin working with you today on your claim. Contact Halpern Santos & Pinkert, P.A. to learn more.
