>>JENNIFER WAUGH: NOW TO A DANGER YOU MAY NOT REALIZE IS SO PREVALENT IN HOMES MORE
THAN 22,000 PEOPLE ARE RUSHED
TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM EVERY
YEAR BECAUSE A TV OR FURNITURE
HAS FALLEN ON THEM. AND
ACCORDING TO THE CONSUMER
PRODUCT, SAFETY COMMISSION’S
NEW TIP OVER REPORT 472
CHILDREN HAVE BEEN KILLED BY
FALLING FURNITURE, TVS OR
APPLIANCES IN THE LAST 21
YEARS. 71% OF THOSE DEATHS
INVOLVED A T V SPECIFICALLY
HE’S HEARTBREAKING. ACCIDENTS
ARE PREVENTABLE. CPSC CHAIRMAN
ALEX HOEHN-SARIC AND KIM
AMATO, A MOTHER WHO LOST HER
DAUGHTER TO A TIP OVER
ACCIDENT ARE JOINING US VIA
ZOOM.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: GOOD
MORNING. THANKS FOR BEING WITH
US. WE APPRECIATE IT. KIM,
THANK YOU. IF I CAN START WITH
HUGH, THANK YOU FOR HAVING THE
COURAGE TO SHARE YOUR STORY
WITH THE HOPES, OF COURSE, OF
HELPING SO MANY OTHERS. YOU
LOST YOUR IN 2004. COULD YOU
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
WHAT HAPPENED TO MEGAN?
>> ARE. MY 3 YEAR-OLD TWIN
DAUGHTER, MEGAN, BY SATURDAY
BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN 2000, 4,
SHE WAS KILLED BY HER ADDRESS.
WE’RE NOT REALLY SURE WHAT
HAPPENED. WE SHE WAS TRYING TO
CLIMB IT IN EARLY MORNING
HOURS WHILE THE REST OF OUR
FAMILY WAS ASLEEP. AND BECAUSE
THE DRESSER FELL ON TOP OF HER
ON TOP OF A CARPETED FLOOR. IF
IT MADE A SOUND, IT WASN’T
LOUD ENOUGH TO WAKE US ALL UP.
AND VERY NEXT SHE WAS UNABLE
TO CRY AND SHE SUFFOCATED.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: THINK
PARENTS UNDERSTAND THAT THE
RISK IT IS A REAL REALITY THAT
THIS HAPPENED SO QUICKLY. AS
YOU MENTIONED, IT’S SOMETHING
THAT HAPPENED WITHOUT THERE
BEING ANY SOUND TO EVEN ALERT
YOU TO COME RUNNING.
>> I MEAN, AT THE TIME I
THOUGHT SHE WAS THE ONLY ONE
EVER HAPPENED TO. BUT, YOU
KNOW, NOW ALL THESE YEARS
LATER AND HAVING TALKED TO SO
MANY PARENTS, I THINK THERE’S
A PREVAILING SORT OF SENSE OF
IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN TO
ME. ARE, YOU KNOW, FURNITURE
ONLY LIKE ONLY AN EXPENSIVE
FRENCH ARE ONLY HAVE A FRAGILE
FALLS. BUT THE REALITY IS
EVERY PIECE OF FURNITURE AND
EVERY TELEVISION IN YOUR HOME
THAT’S NOT SECURED TO THE LAW,
HAS THE POTENTIAL TO FALL AND
INJURE OR KILL YOUR CHILD.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: I’D LIKE TO
BRING INTO THE CONVERSATION
WILL CERTAINLY ONE IS FAR TOO
MANY. THERE IS ENCOURAGING
NEWS THAT THE NUMBERS ARE
DROPPING. BUT THAT SAID THERE
ARE THINGS THAT PARENTS CAN DO
AND NEED TO DO BECAUSE THE
REALITY IS THERE’S NOT THE
FEDERAL REGULATIONS COMPLETELY
THE COVER THIS FROM HAPPENING.
>> THAT’S RIGHT. I THINK WE’RE
WORKING ON SETTING STANDARDS
DRESSERS OTHER CLOTHING
STORAGE UNITS WHO ARE URGING
IT TO STREETS TO MORRIS. WELL,
IN TERMS OF BUILDING A BETTER
VOLUNTARY STANDARDS. IN THE
MEANTIME, WE’RE ALSO TALKING
TO PARENTS AND FOR DAY, AS YOU
POINTED OUT, 22,000, 500 TRIPS
TO EMERGENCY ROOM, EACH YEAR’S
THOSE RESULT TELEVISIONS AND
FURNITURE TIPPING OVER AND
TAKE THE STEP TO TINKER THOSE
TO THE WALL TO PREVENT
TRAGEDIES LIKE HIM JUST TALKED
ABOUT FROM HAPPENING.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: I THINK
THERE’S A TENDENCY WHEN ANY OF
US HIS PARENTS GO OUT TO BUY
SOMETHING THAT’S GOING TO BE
PLACED, FOR EXAMPLE, IN A
CHILD’S ROOM. WELL, SOMEONE
HAS THOUGHT ABOUT MAKING SURE
THAT EVERYTHING IS FINE AND NO
NOTHING BAD WILL HAPPEN. I
THINK THAT’S JUST AN
ASSUMPTION THAT WE MAKE.
WHAT’S YOUR MESSAGE TO
PARENTS?
>> YOU SOME TO TAKE THAT EXTRA
STEP OF ANCHORING FURNITURE TO
WALLS BECAUSE IT EVEN IF
YOU’RE BUYING EXPENSIVE
FURNITURE TO FURNITURE, TAKING
THAT EXTRA STEP OF ANCHORING,
IT WILL JUST BRING MORE SAFE
TEACHER HOME AND PREVENT
TRAGEDIES LIKE.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: CAN HAPPEN
SUCH AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE AND
CAN YOU YOU ACTUALLY STARTED
MEGHAN’S HOPE TO RAISE
AWARENESS ABOUT THIS RISK AND
YOU’RE PUSHING FOR A LAW TO
PREVENT ITS CALLED THE STURDY
ACT. WOULD YOU EXPLAIN WHAT IT
ENTAILS?
>> OUR SOUND THE WOULD
ACTUALLY DIRECT THE CPSC
CREATE A MANDATORY. ALL RIGHT.
YOUR SAFETY STANDARDS
SPECIFICALLY FOR DRESSERS OR
CLOTHING STORAGE UNITS YOU IT
AT THIS TIME, THE WAY IT’S
WRITTEN WOULD INCLUDE ALL
THOSE UNITS NO MATTER WHAT THE
IT WOULD DYNAMIC FORCES OF A
CHILD INTERACTING WITH THE UP
TO 72 MONTHS OF AGE AND IT
WOULD NOT COUNT THE FACTS OF
CARPET. ALL OF THOSE THINGS
ARE DEFINITELY PLAY A ROLE
INTO NEED TO BE ADDRESSED.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: WE WILL
CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS PUSH.
THANK
THANK U BOTH FOR JOINING