2-year-old boy severely injured after TV falls on him in Montclair

MONTCLAIR, Calif. (KABC) -- A 2-year-old boy suffered a severe head injury when a television fell on him from atop a dresser in Montclair, police said.

Authorities said police and fire officials were called to a home in the 4600 block of Oakdale Street on Wednesday afternoon regarding the incident.

The boy, named Jeremiah, woke up from a nap and climbed on the dresser, said his mom, Renette.

Jeremiah was airlifted to Loma Linda University Children's Hospital. He was in a coma, but Renette said he has since come out. She is urging other parents to take the time to check their homes for potential falling hazards.

"Being that he has a little bit of brain damage, the swelling is taking place now. So that's what's under close watch," she said.

Montclair police are also telling parents to take the proper precautions to avoid accidents like this. According to police, a recent study shows that the number of injuries from falling televisions are on the rise.

The study, which was published in the Journal of Neurosurgery Pediatrics, states that a child is brought into an emergency room related to a furniture and/or television fall incident every 24 minutes, police said.

Officials said the television that fell on Jeremiah was an old glass-style CRT model. According to authorities, many people place older TV sets on top of furniture that was not designed to hold it. This makes it likely that the furniture will topple over when a curious child climbs on it.

Citing the study, police said that a heavy CRT television falling just 3 feet onto a child is equivalent to the child falling from a 10-story building.

Police advised that televisions should be wall mounted or placed with other heavy items on lower, more stable furniture.

Meantime, Renette continues to sit by her son's side, waiting for signs of improvement.

"I praise God that we have prayer warriors all over the world praying for Jeremiah, and he'll make it. He'll make it," she said.