Suit blames furniture maker in child's death
A lawsuit filed by a suburban Chicago woman blames a furniture manufacturer for the 2011 death of her 2-year-old son.
Lisa Siefert of Barrington, Ill., says her son Shane died when a child’s dresser made by Gemme Juvenile Inc. tipped over on top of the toddler, the Chicago Tribune reports. The company did not provide warnings or instructions to help prevent the tip-over, the suit alleges.
About 300 of the company’s Natart Chelsea three-drawer dressers have been recalled since the incident, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The company is now supplying owners of the dressers with a retrofit kit to secure the furniture to a wall, the story says.
The CPSC says the dressers met safety standards when they were manufactured.
Siefert created Shane’s Foundation after the accident to help warn parents about the dangers of tip-overs, according to a prior Chicago Tribune story. She has worked with the Illinois Attorney General’s office to launch a public awareness campaign on the hazards.
