Georgia Injury Law Blog
A one-year-old child had to be airlifted to an Atlanta hospital last month after she sustained serious injuries when a television set fell on her at a motel in Cherokee County. The accident happened just as a new study published in a medical journal reveals that the number of children injured by falling furniture, including large screen flat panel televisions, has risen dramatically over the past two decades.
In the motel incident, the child was injured when a 32 -inch television fell off the dresser, and onto her. She suffered a fractured skull. It’s not clear what steps the motel management had taken to secure the T.V on to the dresser to prevent such tip overs. It appears that the motel management could have done a lot to keep their premises safe for parents of little children.
According to Consumer Reports, television tip over accidents generally occur when a child tries to climb on to the table or dresser on which the television is placed. Children below the age of five are more likely to be injured by falling televisions, and these accidents seem to be more common among boys. The most common injuries that result from falling television sets are skull fractures, which can consequently lead to brain injures. Such injuries can require extensive medical treatment, including surgeries, and also require long periods of physical rehabilitation.
Consumer Reports have a number of tips that parents can follow to protect their children from television sets tipping over. As premises liability lawyers, we would advise owners of commercial properties in Georgia to take note of these steps, and follow them in their furniture design.
- Stands should be specifically designed for the television set by the manufacturer, as far as possible.
- If the T.V comes with a base, get it attached by a professional technician, and not a do-it-yourselfer.
- Place your television only on a sturdy table that can take the weight.
- Your TV stand should preferably have a ledge along the edge which can keep the television in place, and make it harder to pull or push.
- Any television stands, dressers etc must be anchored.
In May, a study conducted by researchers in Ohio found that the number of injuries caused by heavy furniture falling on children has increased by 41 percent since 1990. In 2007, approximately 17,000 children required emergency treatment after such injuries. The researchers believe that this increase has much to do with the growing popularity of large screen flat panel televisions in the country. As televisions have come slimmer, it’s become easy for excited owners to forget that these televisions pack several dozens of pounds of circuitry and glass. While these televisions look light, they are far from it. These televisions come designed with a narrow center of gravity that makes them susceptible to tip over.
Atlanta personal injury lawyers would advise parents and owners to secure these televisions on walls with wall brackets, and get securing done by a qualified technician instead of doing it themselves.