Home Meridian issues a Recall for Mid-Century Chests

On September 24th, 2019, Home Meridian, a company based in North Carolina, recalled nearly 650 of its Mid-Century three-drawer chests, which are dressers meant for storage. The dressers are either mahogany brown or white and are identified by the serial numbers DS-D146-002 and DS-D146-005, respectively. They measure 32 inches high, 32 inches wide, and 16 inches deep; they are also rather hefty, weighing 75 pounds. The reason for the recall is due to the possibility of the chest tipping over if it is not secured or anchored to a wall. The tipped over chest can fall on a small child and cause serious injuries. The chests were sold at various locations, including the Nebraska Furniture Mart in Nebraska, Texas, and Kansas; online at Amazon, Wayfair, and Bed Bath and Beyond; and other retail stores. They were distributed for a little over two years, from March 2017 to June 2019, and were sold for around $250. They were manufactured in Vietnam. There have been no reports of injuries or incidents stemming from the instability with the chest. Home Meridian has, nonetheless, suggested that consumers refrain from using the chest and place it in a secure area that cannot be accessed by any children. There are three options available for remedies; consumers may either request a restraint kit that prevents tipping, schedule a free in-home installation of the repair kit to avoid potential mistakes, or send a prepaid shipping label to the company for a full refund on the drawers.

What kind of injuries can happen from a tipped over chest?

A chest that tips over can cause various injuries. To adults, they can suffer crushed limbs and digits; for example, a chest might fall when you put the drawers back in and crush your toes. There could be a few broken toes stemming from the incident. You could also have bruises and abrasions, sprains, strains, puncture wounds, and more. The dangers of tipped over chests increases in relation to children. Children often play around these pieces of furniture, and if one tips over, it can lead to serious injuries. The chests can weigh more than 100 pounds if they are filled with clothing and other items, and if that falls on a child, he or she could be trapped underneath. He could suffer a fracture skull, a concussion or traumatic brain injury, neck and back injuries, broken bones, and more. In the worst cases, a fallen drawer could cause death from asphyxiation. You should always be very aware of the potential damages that can occur from tipped over chests. If you suffer injuries, you should sue Home Meridian for compensation.

How can I sue Home Meridian for a product liability injury?

Filing a product liability lawsuit can be difficult if you have no prior legal experience. You must be able to show that the company either made the product with a design flaw at the start, had a manufacturing error that caused a defect to be present, or did not provide adequate warnings on the item or the packaging. Home Meridian Mid-Century chests were likely designed poorly; if the proper insights had been taken and the chests ad been tested for gravity and balance with a full load of contents, these issues would have been fixed prior to manufacturing. You will need ample evidence if you wish to sue the company, as well. You should make sure to follow these steps to file a claim: First and foremost, you should go to the doctor to get medical treatment for your injuries. It s important that you do not hesitate to get treatment, as the longer you wait the more damages you can accrue and the less likely it is for the insurance agency to believe your claim. A gap between the injury and the treatment can mean that you were hurt elsewhere and you were simply trying to capitalize on a defect. You should also make it a point to gather any documents from the hospital to add to your claim, like doctor’s notes, medical receipts, payments, prescription listings, visit summaries, and more. Next, you should take photos of your injuries and of the product. You could also have video proof of the chest tipping over, if possible. Make sure that you do not tamper with the chest, either do not try to fix it and do not try to bring it anywhere for a repair. If you try to do anything with it, the company can claim that you caused the defect in the first place, as it will be impossible to tell which happened first without appropriate previous proof. Further, do not return it; if you do, you will lose key evidence for your lawsuit. If there were any witnesses who saw the incident happen or who could attest to the chest tipping over, you should add their testimonies and statements to the claim. This will give you additional support on your case. You can further bolster your claim by providing receipts and proof of purchase documents. If you show that you rightfully own the chest, it will be easier to prove that you were hurt in your home. Once you have gathered all of this evidence, you can bring it to an attorney. A product liability lawyer in Los Angeles will be able to submit your claim to Home Meridian’s insurance agency and write a demand letter requesting compensation for injuries from the defective item. We will go through all the legal legwork ourselves; you do not have to worry about any negotiations or casework. Your only goal is to recover from the injuries.

What can I win from a product liability lawsuit?

Individuals who have been injured by chests that tip over should take legal action against Home Meridian. We will strive to bring you the maximum compensation available for your case. Our lawyers aim to bring you the following damages:

• Medical expenses from any hospitalization, surgery, physical therapy, medication, and future treatments
• Reimbursement of lost wages and income that you could not earn due to being out injured, as well as future income if you were unable to return to work because of additional medical treatments or recovery time
• Property damage to replace the cost of the chest or any other belongings in your home that were damaged in the incident
• Pain and suffering damages to account for emotional trauma, psychological distress, fear, PTSD, and anxiety

We will not settle on your case until we are satisfied with the end result. You should not be expected to pay off these debts if the company sold you a defective product and created the problem in the first place.

What’s the statue of limitations to file a product liability lawsuit?

California has a 2-year statute of limitations on personal injury claims, in which product liability lawsuits are included. This means that you must sue within 2 years of the injury or you will not be able to receive anything at all. The statute of limitations allows both sides of the case to gather their evidence and be prepared. The longer you wait, the more likely it is for evidence to get corrupted or lost. In some cases, the statute of limitations can be extended past the 2-year deadline. If you were underage at the time of the incident, your statute would not legally begin until you turn 18 years old (assuming a guardian has not filed a claim on your behalf). Additionally, if the defendant is not present in the state, a lawsuit cannot be filed against him. The statute would be suspended until he returns, for as long as that takes. Often, individuals are unaware of how much time they have left on their lawsuits. If you need to determine the length of time that remains for your claim, feel free to contact us. We will ensure that you miss no deadlines for your product liability lawsuit against Home Meridian.

How We Help

The Downtown LA Law Group has handled hundreds of product liability cases throughout the years. We know the best methods for success and will always seek to bring you the fairest compensation for your claim. We will tirelessly negotiate with the insurance agent wand work to prove that your injuries were the result of negligence by the company. If you want to set up a free legal consultation to discuss your claim, we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We can walk you through the legal process and tell you what we think your claim is worth or valued at. If you want to hire us to represent you for your case, we will give you our zero fee guarantee, which means that we will take no payment at all from start to finish for your case from you. We will get paid by the insurance company if we win, and if we lose, we receive nothing. Don’t hesitate to contact the DTLA Law Group to sue Home Meridian for injuries suffered from a defective Mid-Century three-drawer chest.