Photo credit: mojzagrebinfo/pixabay
In the past decade, the likelihood of a child suffering a head or brain injury caused by a falling television has risen steadily, according to a new report published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics. In many respects, this is not surprising: televisions in general have become more common, and larger, heavier TVs are much more affordable than they once were. According to a press release from St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, televisions can now be found in 95 per cent of Canadian homes. The problem reaches south of the border into the United States, as well: the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported an increase in television-related injuries from 16,500 between 2006 and 2008 to 19,200 between 2008 and 2010.
“The kids at biggest risk are toddlers, so one to three-year-olds,” said lead report author Dr. Michael Cusimano, a neurosurgeon at St. Michael’s. “They’re occurring in older kids as well, but these injuries can be extremely severe in the younger kids – and they can be fatal.”
Indeed, between 2011 and 2013, the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto treated more than 30 children for injuries caused by falling TVs. Of those, 16 had head injuries, 18 had fractures, and “less than five” died, according to the hospital. So while death remains fairly unlikely, the effects of a head or brain injury at a young age can be long-lasting and range from neurological deficit to hearing loss.
“It’s often like a crush injury,” said pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. James Drake in a Globe and Mail interview. “So it’s not what we would call a high-velocity head injury like you would have in a car accident. This is relatively low-velocity, but TVs are very heavy, so they sort of crush the skull. So that causes these fractures and often injures the nerves at the base of the skull that control the face and the eyes and the hearing. Many recover, but some are left with a permanent deficit.”
Besides the fact that toddlers are usually shorter than television stands, there are a number of factors that put them at highest risk. The first is that children between the ages of 2 and 5 generally spend a great deal of time watching television. According the Journal of Neurosurgery paper, children in this age range generally spend more than 32 hours per week in front of TVs, making them automatically more susceptible. They also have a tendency to climb on or play around furniture holding televisions, and are receiving less parental supervision than necessary. Dr. Cusimano’s paper examined nearly 30 studies from seven countries around the world, and found that more than 80 per cent of television injuries occurred at home, three quarters of which were not witnessed by caregivers.
In order to mitigate the risk of your child suffering a head or brain injury, a number of steps can be taken, including:
- Making children aware of the dangers of falling TVs
- Using a proper television stand in lieu of placing the TV on a high piece of furniture
- Attaching the television to a wall
- Avoiding placing toys or remote controls on top of the TV
- Setting regulations for anchoring televisions to walls or the ground, and having manufacturers include instructions on how to do so.
“Too many children are sustaining head trauma from an easily preventable TV toppling event,” Dr. Cusimano said in the St. Michael’s release. “We hope clinicians take a more active role as advocates for prevention of these injuries, legislators become more open to implementing changes to current regulations, and caregivers employ the suggested prevention at home.”
If a member of your family has suffered a head or brain injury caused by a falling television, contact a Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers personal injury lawyer and set up a free, no-obligation consultation today.
Greg Neinstein
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