When a two-year-old boy died after being crushed by a chest of drawers, it raised a lot of concerns all over the internet about the importance of child-proofing the home.
Archie Tafts was at home in Cloughmills, Ireland being watched over by a relative along with six-year-old brother. It was barely 2 weeks after Christmas.
His mom Nicola was at work and his father Phillip was not at home at the time of the fatal accident which resulted in a tragic end to his young life.
He was taken to the hospital for emergency treatment but unfortunately, doctors could not revive him.
A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) spokeswoman told the Mirror, “The police are aware of this situation. As would be normal procedure with any sudden death, a report will be prepared for the information of the coroner.”
The death has been classified as suspicious.
A source told the Mirror, “The family will need a lot of help to get through the practicalities of this awful situation, never mind the emotional turmoil they will be in. They will of course be dealt with most gently by the staff at the Coroner’s Office, who sadly are used to dealing tragedies of this type.
“They have gone from enjoying a wonderful Christmas to utter, dreadful, devastating tragedy.”
Senseless deaths due to falling drawers
This wasn’t the only accident due to home furniture.
Last October 2015, a child died in Australia named Reef Quartermaine died, after being crushed by drawers.
It was assumed that the child had tried to climb the drawers, causing them all to fall on him.
His mom told Yahoo News, “I pulled him out and I thought, ‘dear God, please don’t be dead. He was still warm and I just walked down that driveway thinking, ‘he’s not gone, he’s not gone’.”
Though paramedics and doctors worked together to revive the toddler; all their efforts were all in vain. She recalls pulling him close to her, knowing he was gone.
Reef’s father, Jason, was away working on a mine site when he got the call saying his son had died in a freak accident. “Even though it’s only an hour and 20 minutes, it seemed like hours.”
Both of them shared their heartbreaking experience with Yahoo, hoping their story will help other parents keep even the most mundane objects in their homes safe for their kids.
Jason said, “Go around your house, have a look, just think outside the box and think what could happen. If they can pull it down, bolt it back. If this message has the chance of saving one kid’s life it’s worth it.”
Watch this informative video on how to anchor furniture in order to protect your children. This is important for those with young children who are just learning how to walk and climb.
It’s both shocking and saddening how many deaths could have been prevented with proper child-proofing of the home.
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Also read: Toddler climbs over pool fence, reminding us to never take safety for granted