Furniture can cause serious injuries when it tips over, collapses, or fails structurally. Children are particularly vulnerable to furniture tip-over accidents, but defective furniture injures adults as well. Product liability claims hold furniture manufacturers accountable for design and manufacturing defects that make their products unreasonably dangerous.
Furniture Tip-Over Hazards
Furniture tip-over kills approximately 40 people annually in the United States and sends thousands more to emergency rooms. Children under 6 account for most deaths, typically from dressers, TV stands, and bookshelves falling on them.
Tip-over occurs when furniture is too top-heavy, has an inadequate base, or lacks anti-tip devices. Children climbing on or opening multiple drawers of dressers can shift the center of gravity, causing catastrophic tip-over.
Voluntary and Mandatory Standards
The furniture industry long operated under voluntary tip-over resistance standards (ASTM F2057), which many manufacturers ignored or whose tests inadequately represented real-world conditions. The STURDY Act created mandatory federal tip-over standards for clothing storage furniture.
Products that fail to meet applicable stability standards—or that tip over under foreseeable use conditions the standards don't address—may be defective.
Structural Collapse
Chairs, beds, and tables that collapse cause crush injuries, broken bones, and lacerations. Structural failures result from inadequate design for expected loads, poor quality materials, manufacturing defects in joints and fasteners, and degradation that occurs faster than reasonable.
Furniture should support expected loads with a reasonable safety margin. A chair designed for adult use should not collapse under normal adult weight.
Glass Furniture Hazards
Glass tabletops, shelving, and doors can shatter unexpectedly, causing severe lacerations. Tempered safety glass is required for many applications, but some manufacturers use annealed glass that breaks into dangerous shards.
Even tempered glass can fail from thermal stress, edge damage, or nickel sulfide inclusions. Spontaneous glass breakage has caused serious injuries.
Bed and Mattress Defects
Bunk bed entrapment occurs when spaces in bed structures allow children's heads or bodies to become trapped. Safety standards specify maximum openings to prevent entrapment.
Adjustable beds with defective mechanisms can crush or entrap users, particularly elderly persons who may be unable to extricate themselves.
Mattress flammability is regulated by federal standards. Mattresses that ignite too easily or produce toxic smoke can cause deaths in home fires.
Outdoor Furniture Hazards
Outdoor furniture faces additional challenges from weather exposure. Chairs and tables that collapse after UV degradation or corrosion may be defectively designed for outdoor use. Patio umbrellas can become projectiles in wind if bases are inadequate.
Hammocks, swings, and hanging chairs require adequate hardware and structural support. Failures can cause falls from height and serious injuries.
Assembly and Instruction Defects
Ready-to-assemble furniture requires clear, accurate instructions and properly fitting components. Confusing instructions, missing parts, and ill-fitting components can result in improperly assembled furniture that fails during use.
If furniture fails after assembly following the manufacturer's instructions, the manufacturer may be liable for inadequate instructions or design that doesn't tolerate normal assembly variations.
Preserving Evidence
Keep the furniture that caused injury in its post-incident condition. Don't attempt repairs or reassembly. Photograph the furniture from multiple angles, document any visible defects, and preserve all hardware and packaging.
Note the manufacturer, model, date of purchase, and where you bought it. Check for recalls involving your furniture on the CPSC website.
Pursuing Furniture Defect Claims
Furniture defect claims can recover medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages caused by the defective product. In cases involving children's deaths, wrongful death claims provide compensation to surviving family members.
Expert analysis is often necessary to identify the specific defect and prove it caused the failure. Engineers can examine the furniture and compare it to applicable safety standards and industry practices.
Contact a product liability attorney if defective furniture injured you or a family member. These cases require understanding of furniture safety standards and manufacturing practices.