TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) -- It's the type of viral video that's horrifying for parents to watch.
A surveillance camera captured the moment a dresser fell on two-year-old Brock from Utah. His twin brother Bowdy manages to free him, pushing the dresser off of him.
Following the scary incident, the mother of the twins Kayli Shoff says the family immediately secured the dresser and other furniture to the wall. Shoff hopes the video will provide a valuable lesson to others.
"It'll take you 5 to 10 minutes and just bolt your dressers down," Shoff said. "And do it today."
Tethering down furniture is something Tucson Fire Captain Barrett Baker knows firsthand can save a life. When Baker's son was two-years-old he climbed up his dresser. Thankfully, it was fastened to the wall with a strap.
"The family was in the living room and heard just an explosion," Baker said. "Sure enough the cabinet behind us was tipped over and he was on the ground and it was that moment where you thought, 'thank God that we took that step.'"
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in the U.S. one child dies every two weeks, and a child is injured on average every 30 minutes by fallen TV's or furniture. The commission offers these tips to protect your kids, including:
- Anchor furniture to the wall or the floor.
- Place TVs on sturdy, low bases.
- Or, anchor the furniture and the TV on top of it, and push the TV as far back on top of the furniture as possible. - Keep remote controls, toys, and other items that might be attractive to children off TV stands or furniture.
- Keep TV and/or cable cords out of reach of children. ?
- Make sure freestanding kitchen ranges and stoves are installed with anti-tip brackets.
- Supervise children in rooms where these safety tips have not been followed.
Baker says the latest viral video is a reminder of how easily and quickly it can happen.
"We try to convince parents that a few minutes a few bucks can change your life," Baker said.
Most furniture manufacturers recommend anchoring down furniture, and there are different types of kits you can buy at places like Home Depot so you can do it yourself.
