Grieving mother reminds consumers to anchor their TVs to the wall

CPSC says an estimated annual average of 22,500 Americans required emergency room treatment for tip-over injuries.
Sunday, February 6, 2022
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Federal safety officials have an urgent warning about anchoring your television and other furniture. It comes after a newly released report on tip-over injuries and deaths.

The report shows that since 2000, nearly 500 children have died as a result of tip-overs, and the majority, 71% of those fatalities, involved a television.
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Action News shared Sylvia Santiago's unforgettable and heartbreaking story back in 2015.

"I now have an almost 2-year-old son who will never know who his sister is," she said.

Santiago's daughter, Janiya, died after a television fell on her when she was 3 years old and crawled out of bed and into the next room.

"The next thing I know, I heard the TV coming down. So I immediately picked this huge TV up and just threw it," she said.



A new report by the Consumer Product Safety Commission on TV, furniture, and appliance tip-overs show an estimated annual average of 22,500 Americans required emergency room treatment for tip-over injuries.

"And since 2000, that meant 580 deaths, four out of five of which are children," said CPSC Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric. "Most of them involve televisions, and there's something you can do about it."
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The CPSC is urging consumers to anchor televisions, furniture, and appliances to the wall. Some come with kits to do that, and you can buy inexpensive, easy-to-do kits any time at your hardware store.

"These kits come in less than $20 and can be installed in under 20 minutes," he said.

The CPSC's campaign, AnchorIt! is now in its 7th year. From 2011 to 2020, there has been a 55% decrease in all emergency department treated tip-over injuries.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is also moving forward with a mandatory rule on the stability of dressers and storage units.

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