Consumer safety alert: Be aware of tip over hazards in your home

NEEDHAM, Mass. — It’s Super Bowl weekend and that means gatherings, parties, maybe new TVs and the rearranging of furniture.

But the Consumer Safety Product Commission says there’s a hidden danger you need to be aware of: TV and furniture tip overs.

“When you buy that new TV, anchor it to the wall. If you’re moving furniture, think about who’s going to be in the room. Kids are going to be kids, so they’re going to run around during the Super Bowl and you want to make sure that furniture is anchored to the wall,” says CSPC Commissioner Alexander Hoehn-Saric.

That’s the message from home theater store, SDI in Needham. This is the company’s busiest time of year for installing TVs in homes.

The owner, Alexandra Centeno, says if you’re installing the television yourself, take the time to make sure it’s mounted properly, rather than rushing to put it on a stand.

“It can cause an injury to a child an adult a pet - it’s just not safe to keep a TV on furniture. It needs to be mounted and mounted safely,” said Centeno.

According to the CPSC, furniture tip overs have resulted in 22,500 emergency room visits each year. There have been 520 deaths since 2000, which is roughly 26 deaths per year. Four out of five of them are children.

Kim Amato of Sterling says her 3-year old daughter Meghan was killed by her dresser the Saturday before Christmas in 2004.

“It fell onto her onto a carpeted floor. So whatever sound it made, it wasn’t loud enough to wake us up, and we were in the very next room. She was unable to cry, and she suffocated in minutes,” said Amato. “As I held Meggie, in the emergency room, that day that she died, I promised her that she would be the last one that this ever happened to. And she wasn’t.”

So, Amato founded Meghan’s Hope and works with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to bring awareness to the issue.

Both stress that tip overs can happen really fast, even when you’re in the room.

“The reality is that $20, 20 minutes to purchase an anchor and to install it would have saved Megan’s life,” said Amato.

For more information visit www.anchorit.gov

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2022 Cox Media Group