South Shore has recalled 322,530 of its Libra three-drawer dressers after the death of a 2-year-old child who was killed when the product tipped over. According to Consumer Reports, the company, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada, issued the alert jointly stating that the dressers are unstable if they are not anchored to the wall, posing serious tip-over and entrapment hazards that can result in death or injuries to children. About 310,000 of the dressers were sold in the U.S., 6,930 in Canada and 5,600 in Mexico. The recalled dressers were sold by Wal-Mart, Amazon and Target.
Dangerous and Defective Products
Consumer Reports reported in November 2018 that the dresser failed their tip-over tests. At the time, South Shore said that the dresser was not subject to the voluntary stability standard because it only applied to dressers higher than 30 inches. The recall comes shortly after CPSC inadvertently released data to Consumer Reports identifying injuries and deaths linked to various consumer products including these dressers.
CPSC cites two furniture tip-over accidents tied to the Libra 3-drawer chest, including one injury and one death. The fatality involved a 2-year-old girl in Buffalo, N.Y., who was killed in August 2017 when the dresser fell on her. The girl died of asphyxiation or inability to breathe. CPSC data shows that the agency knew of this death by April 2018.
Consumer Reports recommends that those who own a Libra 3-drawer dresser should immediately stop using the product and then contact South Shore for a full refund. Parents and caregivers are urged to put the dresser in an area that children can’t access and wait until the company picks it up free of charge or sends packaging along with a prepaid shipping label to mail drawer slides to the company.
Preventing Tragic Tip-Over Accidents
Here are a few tips to help prevent these types of accidents that can cause serious injuries or even fatalities:
- Televisions should only be placed on furniture designed to hold a television such as media centers. Televisions that are not wall mounted should be anchored to the wall. Flat-screen televisions should be mounted to the wall to prevent them from tipping over.
- Existing furniture should be anchored to the wall. New furniture such as dressers should be anchored as well.
- Remove items that might tempt kids to climb such as toys or remote controllers from the top of televisions and furniture.
If you or a loved one has been injured by these dangerous or defective products, please contact an experienced product defect attorney to obtain more information about pursuing your legal rights.
