Ikea, a European company that specializes in furniture and kitchen appliances, has agreed to pay an amount of $46 million to the family of a 2-year-old boy who was killed when a chest of the dresser tipped over him.
The drawer that took the life of Jozef Dudek from California on May 2017 was described as “inherently unstable” by the toddler’s family lawyers.
The unsecured piece of furniture reportedly inflicted neck injuries that caused Dudek to suffocate.
A year after, the boy’s parents filed a lawsuit against Ikea for failing to ensure that its products are safe and stable considering that the dressers are more likely to tip over when not secured to the wall.
Similar accidents, victimizing eight other children, were also recalled, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.
Ikea has vowed to widen its outreach to the rest of the victims. It was also urged to warn their clients who will purchase the dressers about the potential harm that their products might cause.
In a statement, the company said: “We remain committed to working proactively and collaboratively to address this very important home safety issue. Again, we offer our deepest condolences.”
The family, who shall receive $46 Million settlement pay, will donate a million to advocacy groups that promote the protection of kids from unsecured products.
The law firm said that the incident is referred to as the “largest child wrongful death settlement” ever in the United States.
