Recalled IKEA Dresser Fell on 5-Year-Old Bellmore Boy: Report

After the recall announcement by IKEA, a Bellmore woman claimed her IKEA dresser fell over and hit her 5-year-old son on the head causing him to fall back onto a wall back in May, according to a report in Newsday.

Following the deaths of several children from chests and dressers that have tipped over, IKEA announced on Tuesday that they were voluntarily recalling multiple versions of the furniture, according to a recent Patch article.

Jaime Sumersille told Newsday that last month the six-drawer MALM dresser, which is the same model that was recalled, fell on her son Everett while he was attempting to grab a pair of pants, leaving a bump on his head.

She then contacted the company who picked up both Malm dressers she owned and gave her $388 in store credit, according to Newsday.

According to a previous Patch article, six children have reportedly died from IKEA furniture that tipped over and there have been reports of 41 tip-over incidents involving the MALM chests and dressers, resulting in 17 injuries to children between the ages of 19 months and 10 years old.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the recalled chests and dressers are unstable if they are not properly anchored to the wall, posing a tip-over and entrapment hazard that can result in death or injuries to children.

IKEA operates 361 stores worldwide. Long Island has an Ikea store at 358 Broadway Mall in Hicksville. Nearby stores at in Brooklyn and Paramus, NJ.

The recalled MALM chests and dressers were manufactured and sold through June 2016 and include the 3-drawer, 4-drawer, 5-drawer and 6-drawer models, the company says. Other IKEA chests and dressers in this recall were sold at various times through June 2016; the recall affects about 29 million products.

For a list of chests and dressers affected by this recall, click here.

Participating consumers can receive a full or partial refund or a free wall-anchoring repair kit.

Customers with a recalled chest or dresser that is not properly anchored to the wall should stop using it and place it in an area not accessible to children.

On its website, the company now has a page dedicated to offering tips on how to prevent tip-over accidents.

“Every two weeks a child dies in the U.S. from furniture, appliances or TVs tipping over, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. By working together, we can help prevent these tragedies and make the home a safer place,” IKEA’s website says.