Children Under Six Accounted For 70% Of Furniture Or TV Tip-Over Injuries

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A study from Nationwide Children's Hospital found that from 1990 to 2019, 560,203 children were treated in emergency departments for furniture or television tip-over injuries. In 2019 alone that number was 11,521, or one child every 46 minutes.

"There's absolutely no reason why a child should be injured, and certainly no reason why a child should have a lifelong disability, or worse, to die, from furniture or TV tip-over. It is absolutely preventable," says Dr. Gary Smith from the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital.

Children under six accounted for 70% of those injuries, with a peak at age 2.

"He was just happy and outgoing," said Sarasota mom Meghan Delong of her son Connor.

She lost Conner in 2017 when a dresser in his nursery fell on top of him.

"That was the time that it took for the dresser to kill Conner, was the time it took me to walk from my bedroom down the hall," she said.

Delong and advocates like her are pushing congress for full passage of the STURDY Act. It would create mandatory stability standards.

According to Delong, "The dresser that killed Connor, it meets the current voluntary standard. That standard is not good enough."

The STURDY Act passed in the U.S. House of representatives in June.

Study authors point out the actual number of children injured in these types of accidents is likely higher, since the study did not include treatment received at urgent care or private doctors' offices.

There are safety steps you can take right now. Experts recommend parents secure furniture like dressers to the wall with straps or L-brackets. Mount TVs to the wall and place them only on appropriate furniture and anchor both to the wall. Keep TVs and furniture clear of things kids might want to get their hands on.

Delong has found healing in working for change. "I can't ever bring Conner back, but I can save your child," she says. She's sharing Conner's story to help prevent more like it.