Growing Number of Kids Being Hurt by Falling TVs
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — More and more children are being injured by falling television sets.
A new study published in the journal Pediatrics finds that more than 200,000 kids have been hurt by falling TVs over the last two decades.
“This is increasing at an alarming rate,” says the study’s lead author, Dr. Gary Smith. “In fact, a child is rushed to a hospital emergency department every 45 minutes in this country for a TV tip-over related injury.”
Noting how serious these incidents can be, Smith adds that every three weeks, a child dies in the U.S. from a TV tip-over.
“We know that these injuries are 100 percent preventable so we need to do and can do more to prevent them,” he says.
One solution is mounting televisions.
“Children are not able to climb up a wall like they can onto a TV stand or a entertainment center as easily,” Smith says.
He says safety anchors and anti-tip devices should be provided with every television at the time of purchase.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio