alex_k
eye_bending_mind_candy
Registered: Feb 2003
Posts: 16008 - Threads: 931
Location: exit wound
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S.I. boy, 8, is crushed to death by toppled TV
BY MAGGIE HABERMAN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
An 8-year-old Staten Island boy playing video games on his family's television was fatally crushed when the set tumbled on top of him, cops said yesterday.
Joseph DeMeo died Saturday at Staten Island University Hospital after he was rushed there from his Oakwood home, police said.
The boy had been playing video games on the 19-inch television when it fell about 6 p.m., cops said.
His family was too distraught to talk yesterday about the tragedy, which highlights what experts warn is a common household danger.
More than 2,000 children die each year from accidents in their homes - and precariously placed television sets are among the potential perils, safety experts say.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned of a spike in the number of injuries and deaths from toppled TVs.
A study in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery published in 2002 found that most of those who suffered from such injuries were toddlers who had been left home alone in front of the TVs.
One of the key reasons for the increase in accidents is the change in television design over the years.
When TV sets were first made, they were intended almost as pieces of furniture.
But now the screens have gotten huge, with the bulk of the weight near the front - making them easy to topple if they're yanked, experts say.
Joseph's death came just over two years after a 2-year-old Brooklyn girl, Emily Hernandez Diaz, was crushed to death when a 27-inch television fell on her in her living room when she climbed onto an entertainment system to grab some videotapes.
In 1998, another 2-year-old girl, Melony Tejeda, of the Bronx, died when she tried to hug a tiger character she saw on the screen of a similar-size TV and pulled the set down on top of her.
Childproofing your home
# Place the TV on a sturdy, low-rise base. Avoid flimsy shelves.
# Push the TV as far back as possible.
# Place any electrical cords out of a child's reach, and teach kids not to play with or tug them.
# Keep remote controls off the TV stand so kids won't be tempted to grab for them and risk knocking the TV over.
clickety click
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