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Super Bowl safety: Anchor your TV!

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Posted at 10:57 AM, Jan 29, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-29 11:00:01-05

Super Bowl Sunday is near, and if you're thinking of getting a new TV or are planning to have kids over to watch the big game there are some things you'll want to keep in mind to prevent a potentially deadly accident.

After a close call with his own child more than 15 years ago, NFL Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins has a warning for parents.

"It could happen to anyone at any time," Dawkins says.

A dresser toppled onto his young daughter as she was climbing to reach a TV perched on top.

Fortunately, she wasn't seriously hurt.

"The saving grace was that the bed was close enough in proximity, it was a smaller room that, it didn't' fall and crush her," Dawkins says.

Many aren't so lucky.

A TV or piece of furniture can fall with hundreds of pounds of force, and every 24 minutes tipped furniture sends a child to the emergency room.

More than 450 children in the United States have died from tip-over incidents since 2000; tragedies that can be prevented.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is reminding families to recycle old or unused TVs and secure any top-heavy furniture with an anchor kit. They're both cheap and easy to install.

Read more: http://bit.ly/2uHCjWe