You may recall earlier this year Swedish retailer, Ikea, agreed to pay $46 million to the parents of a 2-year-old boy killed by an Ikea Malm dresser that tipped over. Here, the product liability attorneys at Colson Hicks Eidson want to discuss some of the basics of that case as well as a new recall from the company regarding the exact same problem. Our team is dedicated to bringing you relevant information about defective products in Florida and throughout the US.
Ikea Keeps Having Furniture Problems
In January, it was reported that Ikea agreed to pay $46 million to the parents of a California child, Jozef Dudek, who died after one of the company’s dressers tipped over and fell into him in 2017. This was believed to be the largest settlement resulting from a wrongful death case involving a child in US history. This settlement came after Ikea paid $50 million to three families in similar lawsuits in 2016.
From 2016 to 2017, Ikea recalled approximately 17.3 million Malm chests and drawers, similar to the one that killed Jozef Dudek.
“We miss him so much,” Joleen Dudek, Jozef’s mother, said Monday. “He would be turning 5 this year in April. We never thought that a 2-year-old could cause a short 30-inch dresser to tip over and suffocate him. It was only later that we learned that this dresser was designed unstable and did not meet safety standards and that this had happened to other little boys.”
Early in March 2020, Ikea announced that it was recalling 820,000 of its Kullen three-drawer chests due to the possibility that they could tip over and crush children.
Ikea Is Not The Only Company With These Problems
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has recently announced seven recalls of chests and drawers because of a tip-over danger. The agency even issued a rare Product Safety alert for a four-drawer dresser made by the company Hodedah. The CPSC considered that dresser so dangerous that it did not even wait for the manufacturer to agree to the recall.
After so many deadly incidents with furniture tip-overs, the CPSC is drafting mandatory safety regulations for furniture in an effort to prevent children from being crushed. From 2014 to 2018, furniture tip-overs have been blamed for 89 deaths, most of which were children.
We Can Help You With Your Case
If you or somebody you care about has been injured, or if you have lost a loved one due to defective furniture, seek legal assistance immediately. At Colson Hicks Eidson, we are ready to investigate your case. Our award-winning firm regularly handles defective product cases throughout Florida and the United States. Our goal is to recover the following compensation:
- Coverage of medical expenses related to the defect
- Recovery of lost wages if you cannot work
- Pain and suffering damages
- Loss of enjoyment of life damages
- Possible punitive damages against the manufacturer
If you need a product liability attorney, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or by calling us at 305-476-7400.
