http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Con...l=968793972154

Child dies after being crushed by TV
Safety organizations sound warning to parents
Water coolers in homes a growing concern, CSC says

A young North York girl has died after a 27-inch television fell onto her head yesterday around the dinner hour.

The 3-year-old girl, whose name hasn't been released, was rushed to hospital but she died this morning just before 8 a.m. from head injuries, police confirmed.

Authorities are treating this as an accident. Homicide has been notified but they are not leading the investigation, Constable Wendy Drummond said this morning.

"It's being treated as a freak accident," Drummond said.

A post-mortem has been scheduled for tomorrow.

Investigators are interviewing family members today. There were family members in the apartment residence in the Bathurst and Finch Ave. area when the accident happened about 5:30 p.m. yesterday, Drummond said.

"The baby wasn't alone," she said.

Police say it's important for people to make sure television sets are secured if mounted off the floor when children are in the area.

But deaths from televisions toppling over aren't a common occurrence.

"You wouldn't think of your TV toppling over," the police spokesperson said. "But if it is something that you can make some adjustments to make it safer, you should do that. And if it's on a stand, make sure it's secure and make sure electrical cords are out of the way."
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that 8,000 to 10,000 victims are treated annually in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for injuries associated with the tipover of furniture.

The commision also receives reports of about six deaths each year. The majority of these injuries and deaths are to children.

Safe Kids Canada, the national injury prevention program of The Hospital for Sick Children, report that more than 100 children visit hospital emergency departments every year in Canada because they have been hurt by toppling televisions.

Statistics from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (which collects data from 16 hospitals) shows that in half of these cases, the set was on a simple TV stand or cart.

The Canada Safety Council, a national public service organization dedicated to the prevention of accidents in traffic, workplace and home, said that deaths related to TVs falling on children in Canada are so rare it doesn't have any statistics in this country.

More of a concern to president Emile Therien is the increased use of water coolers in homes "because they are top heavy."

In North America, there were three fatalities last year with water coolers toppling over on children, Therien said.

"There's not much of a body of information now, but it's a growing concern," he said from Ottawa.

As with any household accident, he said, supervision is the most important part of prevention



Really feel bad for the parents..please make sure your TV's are secure and pass this on to all parents of young kids



RB

Ray, can you cut and paste the article to save all that registering stuff?




YEP - done - Ray

You would if you'd seen a toddler at work. Very sad, but very preventable. Ours is tethered to the wall.

I remember an incident at the school I used to work in back in the UK. An unsecured TV was toppled and the teacher in an attempt to stop it falling grabbed the power lead only for the lead to detatch from the TV and the exposed wires giving the teacher an electric shock. Needless to say that all the TV's were checked after that to make sure they were secured properly but how many are secured like that in the home? Makes you think.

Thanks Ray for that salutary warning!

Now,...... everyone's going to think I'm terribly heartless, but Iaink, your post did make me laugh. It really reads as if you tether your toddler to the wall!!

Morw

What makes you think she isnt? LOL!

Having had 5 of the little darlings think they should be issued with restraints at birth!!!

seriously your heart has to go out to those parents, its a dreadful accident.

No matter what the accident is, its so painful for any parent to have to go through loosing a child. I have a friend in the Uk who lost her 18 month old daughter in a tragic tragic accident which could have been prevented. Even if you have to watch someone else go through the pain, it will still make you want to tie your kids to the wall beleive me!