4-year-old Boy Dies After Cupboard Falls On Him At Home

A four-year-old boy lost his life after a cupboard fell on him at his home in Israel.

The child was severely injured after the incident Monday in Merkaz Shapira, a village in south-central Israel. His parents were reportedly warned about keeping all their furniture secured to prevent such accidents from occurring.

The child had no pulse and was not breathing by the time medics from the Magen David Adom emergency service arrived. He was rushed to the hospital with critical head injuries, Israel National News reported.

"When we arrived at the house, we saw the toddler lying unconscious with a severe injury to his upper body," paramedic Noa Loski said, as quoted by the outlet. "He was pulseless and not breathing and we immediately started medical treatment. We transferred him to an intensive care unit and evacuated him to the hospital while performing CPR while his condition was critical."

The boy was eventually pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the Times of Israel.

"Unfortunately, despite attempts at resuscitation at his home and continued advanced resuscitation at the hospital, we had to declare his death," the hospital's statement read.

The circumstances around the child's death are being investigated by the police.

Beterem – Safe Kids Israel, a child safety group, said that there have been 305 cases in the last 10 years where children were rushed to the hospital after suffering injuries due to a falling cupboard in the country.

"This is a tragic and painful event, which unfortunately is not so unusual even if it does not always end in death," Beterem CEO Orly Silbinger said.

Silbinger also urged parents to take measures to prevent such tragedies.

"I call on all parents, don't tell me it won't happen - fix every cabinet or piece of furniture over 75 cm high to the wall, and make sure the cabinets are in good condition to prevent it or parts of it from falling," Silbinger added.

In an unrelated incident, a toddler boy was crushed to death after an Ikea dresser fell on him at a California home. The parents of 2-year-old Jozef Dudek sued the furniture company after their son's death in May 2017. An Ikea spokesperson said in July 2020 that the company will pay the family $46 million to settle the lawsuit.