Share
PrintSpecial Report: Parents Of Child Killed By Furniture Speak Out
Meghan Beck was full of joy, she was a very happy little girl. It seemed like just another morning in the Beck’s central Massachusetts home.
Until Meghan’s father walked into her room and discovered that her dresser had fallen over on top of her.
"When he found her, she wasn’t breathing, her heart wasn’t breathing," mother Kim Beck said.
Meghan never recovered.
"We never thought Meghan’s dresser would ever tip over," Kim said.
The consumer product safety commission says an average of six children die each year from furniture or appliances falling on top of them.
"The impact can be very swift and deadly," UMASS Memorial Health Dr. Michael Hirsh said.
Dressers, bureaus, TV’s all are potentially dangerous.
"You can see it right here, if the child opens up the drawers, pulls on the drawers," child safety expert Carrie Kelly said. "You see how easy this might tip."
There are a number of products that anchor furniture to or to the floor that can easily be attached by parents.
"Do it before that can walk," Kelly said.
Meghan’s family is now on a mission to see that this never happens to any child ever again.
"We don’t want Meghan’s death to be in vain," Kim Beck said, "If we can save other children, then let’s do it."
The Beck’s have a website called ‘Meghan’s Hope.’ There you can find child safety tips and more details about Meghan.
http://www.blossomingbelly.com
(Copyright 2005 by WHDHTV 7News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)