Ikea to settle for $50 million after its dressers tipped over, killing three young boys

[Eugene]

Source: Washington Post

Ikea to settle for $50 million after its dressers tipped over, killing three young boys

By Ben Guarino December 22 at 2:59 AM

The world’s largest furniture seller, Ikea, bills itself as “The Life Improvement Store.” But after its products caused three deaths, the Swedish company will pay $50 million to the families of three young boys. The children, no older than two years old, died when Ikea dressers toppled over with crushing force. In all cases, the lethal furniture was one of Ikea’s Malm dressers, a line of popular assemble-it-yourself chests made of particle- and fiberboard.

Ikea settled after two days of mediation with the families’ attorneys, according to a statement from the lawyers. Such a payout may be among the largest-ever settlements of its type. The retailer did not respond to a request for comment from the news media.

Jackie Collas, the mother of a toddler named Curren Collas, has publicly recounted the horror of discovering her son beneath the Ikea chest in February 2014. As The Washington Post wrote in July 2015, “There was the blonde wood dresser she’d bought from Ikea, fallen on its front. And there was Curren trapped between it and the bed, his face purple and his body unbearably still.”

The settlement brought a sense of relief that the legal battle was finished, Collas told the Philadelphia Inquirer. But her life could never be the same, she said, telling the paper, “Even if I live until 100, it’s going to be before Curren and after Curren.”

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/12/22/ikea-to-settle-for-50-million-after-its-dressers-tipped-over-killing-three-young-boys/?utm_term=.5aa9195d1073

[democratisphere]

1. Garbage furniture

[Sherman A1]

2. I disagree

IKEA's product lines fill a niche. It certainly is not top quality in many cases, but often top quality is not needed or wanted for the task at hand. I have found they offer some interesting alternatives and concepts. It is not a store that I would shop often, but when giving consideration to a room refresh or remodel, it is a place to look for different ideas and perhaps some products.

I found some nice hanging fabric panels that I used to make a sliding door on an oddly shaped closet in my basement computer room. They serve the purpose very well and did not break the bank or cause me to special order wooden doors.

[duffyduff]

15. If you have to assemble it, it is junk.

I would save my money on used or new pre-built furniture.

[Sherman A1]

17. I disagree

it depends entirely upon one's needs and one's means. No one is forced to buy anything at IKEA, those that do so, should have a clear understanding of what they are buying and why.

I just picked up a BBQ grill that I will assemble, is that junk or does that fit the price point and the need that I have to replace a worn and rusted out grill?

[csziggy]

4. It's about as good quality as the already assembled furniture

And can be loaded in smaller vehicles to get home while being purchased at a lower cost.

I don't have any IKEA furniture, but all the cabinets in my house are from IKEA. I could customize the kitchen, bathroom and closets without having to pay outrageous fees. I assembled all the regular sized cabinets - had to get help to put together the closet and pantry pieces. Eight years on, the cabinets are holding up just fine and I'm pleased that I can change them around and adjust the parts to fit my needs as they evolve.

[LanternWaste]

7. That seems to be the trendy thing to say

That seems to be the trendy, bullet-point thing to say, regardless of whether or not any collective evidence supports it as such.

[eniwetok]

3. Pretty sure there were instructions to secure to wall

About 3-4 years ago I had the unfortunate pleasure of assembling two Ikea items for a friend... a dresser and a tall book shelf. I thought both had instructions to secure to the wall. Maybe I dreampt it.

[Mariana]

9. If a piece of furniture can be pulled over at all

it should be secured to the wall when there are small children in the house. Kids will try to climb on furniture, that's just a fact.

[Bettie]

5. Nearly any piece of furniture can be pulled over

All of my curio cabinets and dressers are attached to the wall, a relic of when my kids were small and tended to climb (or attempt to) everything. Our TV is anchored to ensure it can't be pulled over as well.

It is a parent's job to ensure that things can't be pulled over, that often means securing things to walls.

[PoliticAverse]

6. "Our TV is anchored" - the majority of tip over injuries to children do come from TVs. n/t

Last edited Thu Dec 22, 2016, 03:39 PM - Edit history (1)

[Bettie]

11. My kids are all old enough now to

keep from pulling things over on themselves (one would hope, at 15, 14, and 8), but I still make sure stuff is secure.

It is simple common sense.

[hunter]

8. As a toddler, my little brother tipped over a dresser and bruised himself up pretty awful.

He fell in the space between the bed and the dresser and got smacked by the drawers, which he'd pulled out to use as stairs to the top.

This is so sad.

My own kids were little monkeys, it was near impossible to contain them. I once caught our youngest sitting on top of the refrigerator. This is the same kid we literally had to leash as a toddler whenever we went out. Parents who have never had a kid like this, and people who have never had kids, have no idea...

We have Ikea bookcases anchored to the wall, as per instructions. Our stove and television are likewise anchored. I'm so sensitive to this I went to check that our stove was still anchored to the wall after a grim story I read here on DU. Yep, still anchored.

Everyone should pay attention to this, even if they don't have kids in the house. Here in California you never know when an earthquake is going to throw stuff about.

[Bettie]

13. Uneven floors can make things tippy too

I have a very light bookcase (not anchored, because it is only about three feet high and mostly holds devices for charging and extra shoes). My elderly stepfather tipped it while walking by, because he is unsteady on his feet and our floors are old and not actually fully flat anymore.

[Orrex]

10. IKEA is a great place to get products made form illegally harvested lumber

[Bettie]

12. Most of us can't afford

hand crafted furniture from local artisans made only from fallen trees and limbs.

Most of us end up going where we can get what we need for a price we can afford.

Do you have a link with regard to your illegal lumber claim? I'd not hear that, but I also have not had a need to buy furniture recently, from Ikea or elsewhere.

[Orrex]

16. Happy to provide them.

Here's a good one, for starters.

Ikea has reportedly had its certificate suspended by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) after the discovery that the furniture chain has been cutting 600-year-old trees in Russia.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/07/20127271229830182.html

https://industryedgeblog.com/category/illegal-logging/

http://www.care2.com/causes/ikea-accused-of-logging-old-growth-forests.html

http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat52/sub329/item2219.html#chapter-8

http://grist.org/living/ikea-wont-tell-where-it-gets-its-wood-and-congress-is-about-to-give-it-a-pass/

And many more.

Barbara Ehrenreich gave an excellent talk on CSPAN years ago about this, but I can't find the link just now.

Hey, I'm 100% on board with people buying what they can afford from sites that they can reach. I've been arguing in favor of that very concept for many years here on DU. However, it's curious that Walmart is roundly condemned for its horrendous business practices, while IKEA largely and mysteriously escapes this criticism.

I'm not faulting you in the slightest, assuming that you're not one of those who likes to beat up on people who have no better option than to shop at Walmart.

[duffyduff]

14. Furniture you have to assemble is bullshit.

I will take second-hand already assembled furniture to that crap.

I have had to do it, and I would not waste my time doing it again.