A tragic accident claimed the life of a toddler in Texas when an antique dresser fell and crushed her as she attempted to climb it to reach a toy, her heartbroken mother has shared.
Taryn Cochrane recounted the devastating incident that occurred on January 8, when her 2-year-old daughter, Helena, was killed beneath an 80-pound dresser that toppled over at their home in Denton, roughly 40 miles from Dallas. Cochrane shared her anguish on social media, according to Jam Press.
“It happened in an instant and without a sound,” the grieving 21-year-old mother expressed, describing the ordeal as “a nightmare no parent should endure.”
Cochrane mentioned that the dresser had been in her home for years, and she had never perceived it as a potential danger to her young child.
“The guilt and shame are overwhelming, knowing that had I secured the dresser, my daughter might still be with us, and her sister would not have lost her closest companion,” she lamented.
“Its size and weight led me to believe it was stable, much like many other parents assume, and it never crossed my mind as a threat,” she added.
Months after Helena’s death, Cochrane said she realized similar accidents happen far too often and is now on a mission to share her family’s story in hopes of urging other parents to secure their furniture.
“I wanted to share my pain in losing my daughter from a mistake I made so that others are more cautious and aware that this very tragedy is so real,” she wrote. “Not only to me, but so many others that are silently struggling in their guilt.”
The heartbroken mother said she decided to share Helena’s story after her “birthday passed and how excruciating the grief was for not only me, but my entire family.”
“It was so intense, it moved me in the direction of ‘How can I prevent this happening to someone else’s child and their family so that no one has to feel the pain, guilt, and grief I feel on a day to day basis?’” Cochrane wrote, according to Jam Press.
“No parent should outlive their babies — especially not to preventable accidents,” she added.
Cochrane urged parents to secure every piece of furniture in their home — especially dressers — when child-proofing, calling it one of the most important steps they can take.
“Anchoring takes only a small amount of time but can make all the difference in the world,” she wrote. “If my story can help even one family avoid this kind of tragedy, then my daughter’s memory is protecting others in a way that truly matters.”
Anchoring heavy furniture — like dressers, bookcases and televisions, among the most common to tip — requires securing them to wall studs using anti-tip straps, brackets or specially designed anchors.
Falling furniture and televisions kill an estimated 20 to 30 children every year in the US and send roughly 14,000 more to emergency rooms annually, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Toddlers between 1 and 3 are the most vulnerable of any age group to suffer a fatal accident as a result.
with Post wires
