Tip-Over Injuries Rise: Families Urged to Prepare for Holiday Visitors
Special Event Alerts Families of Danger, Shares the Story of Brayden Lee Rodgers
PHOENIX, Ariz. (October 24, 2012) – Across the nation, child injuries and deaths related to furniture tip-overs are on the rise. A recent Consumer Product Safety Commission report announced that a child is killed every two weeks in the United States, due to instability or tip-over of furniture, televisions, or appliances. Televisions are involved in seventy percent of fatalities. Additionally, more than 22,000 children are treated in emergency rooms every year for injuries related to instability or tip-over. Earlier this month, a five-year-old boy lost his life after being crushed by a television in his Phoenix home.
Brayden Lee Rodgers’ family never thought their home was a dangerous place for the independent three year old, but they kissed him goodnight for the last time in December 2011. He was killed when a television set and dresser fell on top of him. “We miss him so much – his big blue eyes and smile made him the spotlight wherever he was,” says his mother, Heather Poole. “Families need to protect their children, today.”
Increased sale of television sets may be a factor in the rise, as families upgrade to more energy-efficient models. “The holidays are coming,” says Angelica Baker, Coordinator at the Injury Prevention Center at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, “and between holiday sales and visitors, many homes will have new furniture or televisions, with small children present. The information we’ll share at this event is critical to keeping them safe this holiday season.”
The event, with the support of Phoenix Fire Department, will cover a number of safety strategies, showing families how they can:
- Effectively anchor furniture to prevent tip-over injuries, including installation tips for brackets.
- Choose furniture which has a low, sturdy base.
- Child-proof the area, looking from a child’s eye-level and putting the items toddlers want within reach.
- Develop supervision techniques for holiday visits, to reduce the risk of injury.
For more information, visit http://www.phoenixchildrens.com/community/injury-prevention-center/preventing-falls-at-home.html and http://www.braceitforbrayden.org/.
EDITORS NOTE: Media are welcome at the special “Furniture Tip-Over Alert Event” on Monday, November 12th at 10 am, in the lobby of the main building at Phoenix Children's Hospital. The family of Brayden Lee Rodgers will speak, and experts will share the latest information about the issue and safety strategies. The Hospital is located at 1919 E. Thomas Rd., Phoenix, 85016. Media parking is available on the east side of the Rosenberg Medical Plaza, just South of the East Building hospital entrance.
About Phoenix Children’s Hospital
Phoenix Children’s Hospital, ranked in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals, is Arizona’s only licensed children’s hospital, providing world-class inpatient, outpatient, trauma, emergency and urgent care to children and families in Arizona and throughout the Southwest. As one of the largest children’s hospitals in the country with 465 licensed beds, Phoenix Children’s provides care across nearly 50 pediatric specialties. The hospital is poised for continued growth in quality patient care, research and medical education. For more information about the hospital, visit www.phoenixchildrens.com.
Media Contact:
Jane Walton
(602) 933-0824
