A tragedy eight years ago is still fresh in the minds of a Kansas City family. They lost their 2-year-old son in a way they never thought possible.
"A dresser had tipped over and fell on Charlie and took his life," said Charlie's father, Brett Horn. "It was the worst thing that you can ever imagine. That should never happen to any parent."
Horn and his wife founded the nonprofit Charlie's House to raise awareness during weeks like this.
Super Bowl week poses a new danger for children with more TVs entering the home.
"If we could lend Charlie's story to others to help prevent other accidents and other deaths, then we were happy to do so," said Horn.
Charlie's House works along side the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which launched its own nationwide campaign called Anchor It.
"With their new television sets, make sure they're either mounting them on the wall or anchoring them to the furniture, and the furniture to the wall," said Marietta Robinson, a commissioner with the CPSC.
Often times it's not the new flat screens that pose the danger. It's old, heavier TVs that sometimes get moved into a child's room.
"Often on top of a piece of furniture, and that's when the danger begins, because kids will pull out drawers to climb up to reach that television and that's when catastrophe hits," said Robinson.
According to the CPSC, every two weeks, an American child is killed by a TV or piece of furniture that tips over. It's a tragedy that changes a family forever but only takes a few minutes to prevent.
"There's no reason not to secure your furniture, your television to the wall. You can always fix that hole in the wall, but you can't fix the hole in your heart," said Horn.
To order free equipment from Charlie's House to childproof your home, click here.
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Justin Wilfon can be reached at justin.wilfon@kshb.com.
