Furniture tip-overs are among the greatest safety risks in the home. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that furniture tip-overs are to blame for more than 25,000 emergency room visits each year. And each year, furniture tip-overs lead to more than 500 avoidable fatalities. Tragically, more than half of all furniture tip-over accident victims are children.
If you, your child, or any other member of your family has been injured or killed in a furniture tip-over accident, it is important that you speak with an attorney. Furniture designers and manufacturers have a legal obligation to ensure that their products are safe, and holding them accountable is critical to mitigating safety risks at work and at home. You could also have a claim for significant financial compensation. At Berkowitz Hanna, we represent individuals and families throughout Connecticut in furniture tip-over cases, and we have the experience and resources required to take on major furniture companies across the United States and worldwide. Contact a Connecticut furniture tip-over injury lawyer to get started.
Despite furniture designers’ and manufacturers’ legal obligations, furniture tip-over accidents continue to happen at alarming rates. Anchorit.gov, a public safety website maintained by the CPSC, publishes annual statistics specifically for these kinds of accidents. For example, according to the CPSC:
If you have been injured, or if your child, your spouse, or your aging parent has been injured or killed in a furniture tip-over accident, why do these statistics matter to you? For one, they show that you are not alone. These accidents happen frequently, and they are often the result of design defects and other issues that are beyond families’ control. For another, they underscore the importance of holding furniture companies accountable. If victims and their families do not take legal action, these statistics are not going to improve.
In cases involving furniture tip-over accidents, victims and their families have a number of potential grounds for seeking financial compensation. For example, past lawsuits against companies like Ikea have resulted in multi-million-dollar settlements and verdicts based on claims of:
Many furniture tip-over cases involve items that purchasers are required to assemble at home. Big box retailers like Ikea, Target, and Walmart sell many of their furniture items disassembled so that they are easier to transport in ordinary cars and SUVs. Amazon and other online retailers sell disassembled furniture items in order to reduce their shipping costs as well. However, while this makes it easier to get their products home, it also increases the risk of serious and fatal tip-over injuries.
Oftentimes, the assembly instructions are unclear or incomplete, and they do not adequately underscore the importance of anchoring the items in order to prevent them from tipping over. Screws and other important pieces of hardware may also be missing (or insufficient to prevent a tip-over), and boards may be damaged during shipping. In short, if you assembled the piece of furniture that tipped over you, this does not mean that you are responsible. Rather, the more likely scenario is that the item you received was already dangerous the moment it left the warehouse.
If you or a loved one were injured in a furniture tip-over accident, you deserve answers. If a company is to blame, you also deserve to be fully and fairly compensated. Our attorneys can answer all of your questions and determine if you have grounds to file a lawsuit. And if you do, we can fight to make sure you receive the compensation to which you are legally entitled. Call our office to speak with a Connecticut furniture tip-over injury lawyer today.
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