IKEA To Pay Family US$46M After Toddler Gets Killed By Dresser
Image via MDOGAN / Shutterstock.com
IKEA has been ordered to pay a family US$46 million after a MALM dresser fell over a two-year-old boy in May 2017.
The Dudek family detailed in their complaint that IKEA had neglected to adequately warn customers about possible safety risks that came with some products.
IKEA conducted a full recall of MALM units in June 2016, explaining that the dressers would not stand securely unless they were attached to the wall. The Swedish company was forced to recall the units after two incidents in 2014 and 2016 that resulted in the deaths of three toddlers.
While IKEA subsequently accompanied the dressers with free wall-anchoring kits, the Dudeks said they were unaware of the recall as they had purchased theirs in 2008.
The parties reached a settlement last week, and the family’s attorneys described it as the largest wrongful death settlement in US history associated with a child, according to a report by Dezeen.
IKEA is now also required to extend its outreach efforts when products are to be recalled.
The company finally “fixed” the design flaw in June 2019 with a similar GLESVÄR dresser that comes with an interlocking mechanism.
With the newer units, only one drawer can be opened at a time until the dressers are properly secured against a wall.
Image via IKEA
[via Dezeen, images via various sources]
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