Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Unstable Flat-Screen TVs Sending More Kids to the ER

by Warren Riddle on May 13, 2009 at 03:51 PM

Faulty installation of flat-screen televisions can pose a real risk to children when they're not properly secured, according to a new study recently published by the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH.

According to the study, nearly 8,500 children visited emergency rooms in 2007 because of accidents involving falling televisions. A four-year-old named Dymounique Wilson died in just such an accident in Florida last week. MSNBC, where we first saw news of this study, has offered up a number of precautions that flat-screen owners can take in order to avoid tragic and fatal incidents in the future.



Here are some of the big ones they offer: If you are wall-mounting your TV, it's important not to rush the hanging process and to follow the installation directions precisely. Not wall-mounting? In that case, consider using straps or L-brackets to add stability.

We've got a few tips of our own to add: If you're going to perch your TV on top of a dresser or a stand, use furniture with wide legs and a heavy base, and try to keep the TV low to the ground and at the back of the structure's surface. To prevent children from climbing on the furniture, install stops on the drawers. Also, don't place anything -- such as remotes -- on top of the stand or TV that may tempt a child into climbing. For some in-depth flat-screen installation tips, you can also check out a good instructional video here. [From: MSNBC]

Tags: flat screen, flat screen injuries, flat screen tvs, FlatScreen, FlatScreenInjuries, FlatScreenTvs, household, kids, killer gadgets, killergadgets, top

Comments

3

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular