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TV tip-over can lead to injuries
Parents urged to secure any large sets to avoid accidents
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Bryan Davis, right, shows Claude Sullens a safety feature Friday at Wofford TV Sales and Service on a 55-inch LCD television that keeps it from tipping over in the home. The feature allows the owner to attach the base to a surface if the television is not being mounted to a wall. - photo by Scott Rogers | The Times
This holiday season it seems like everyone has a television on their Christmas wish list.While the newer model televisions come with some improvements, they also tend to be top-heavy with narrow bases.According to a report released by Safe Kids Worldwide and SANUS, every three weeks a child dies from a television tipping over. The report which includes data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission said there are nearly 13,000 more children injured each year across the county. That represents a 31 percent increase in the last 10 years, according to the report.Kimberly Martin, Safe Kids of Gainesville and Hall County coalition coordinator, said there haven’t been any reports of deaths or injuries in the area attributed to falling TVs, but that shouldn’t stop parents from taking steps to prevent such an accident.Martin said it’s important to educate parents and caregivers on ways to secure big-screen sets so they don’t fall over.“For the most part, (TVs) are getting bigger and flatter, unless they’re strapped to a wall or bolted to a wall, kids are susceptible to injuries,” Martin said.The report shows that children under age 5 are most likely to be injured by a television tip-over.