4-Year-Old Killed by Falling TV in Orange County

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on May 14, 2018

On Tuesday night, May 8th, a 4-year-old boy was sitting or lying down in front of a television inside of an Orange County home. Shortly before 2:00 in the morning, the stepfather to the young boy, heard a loud crack coming from the living room, where the television and the child were. According to the official report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the stepfather, who was in his bedroom at the time, rushed out of bed and into the living room. There, the man found that the television had fallen off of its stand or the wall and onto the boy.

When the man reached the room, the boy was still trapped underneath the heavy device. When he was freed, it became clear that he was badly injured and 9-1-1 was called. Emergency response teams from Orange County arrived shortly afterwards and rushed the boy to Florida Hospital South. The report from the first responders mentioned that the child was suffering from a head injury and that he was also bleeding heavily from his nose.

It is not clear how long the child was at the hospital receiving medical treatment, but deputies with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office told reporters that the child was not able to recover from his injuries and that he subsequently died while in the care of the hospital.

An investigation is now underway to determine just what happened to cause the television to topple onto the young boy and whether or not any negligence is involved in the case. The make and model of the television have not been released to the public.

Reports on the incident have made sure to include statistics on injuries from falling televisions. These statistics indicate that one child dies every three weeks as a result of a falling television. A study from SafeKids.org found that 12,800 children in the United States were injured in 2011 as a result of a falling television. The organization also reminded parents and guardians of children that a 36-inch CRT television set that falls only three feet will have the same amount of momentum as a one-year-old child falling from a 10 story building. This means that children who are underneath such an object are in tremendous danger, especially if there is a malfunction with the television or it is not properly secured.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.