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Major Settlement Awarded in the Case of Toddler Killed by Dresser

January 28, 2020
settlement awarded in defective product case Pittsburgh, PA

Jozef Dudek was only two when his life was abruptly put to an end by none other than a dresser that most people have in their bedrooms. A dresser was the last thing that Jozef’s parents, Joleen and Craig, could have expected would cause their child’s death. During a time when these parents should be preparing for their son’s fifth birthday and getting him ready to attend kindergarten in the fall, they are instead living off his memory and remembering him for the bright young boy that he was. It all started in 2017 when a dresser inside the Dudek’s home tipped over and fell on top of Jozef. The dresser, which was purchased at an Ikea store, caused the boy to suffocate to death.

Family Devastated by Unsafe Product

The boy’s parents were initially shocked and could not believe what happened. They were trying to figure out how their two-year-old could have had the strength to pull a 30-inch dresser down on his own body. It was shortly after the incident that the Dudeks were informed of other families who experienced the same tragic fate. 

They realized that Ikea had acknowledged a design flaw that caused the dresser to lack stability. The Dudeks also found out that Ikea’s dressers did not meet strict safety requirements that are put in place to protect consumers from accidents like the one that happened to their son.

After finding out this shocking and frustrating news, it was only natural for the parents to want to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Ikea. The parents were told that Ikea did issue a recall for the dresser in 2016, which was a year before Jozef Dudek was killed. However, they never knew that there was a recall. 

Although the Dudeks specifically used an Ikea credit card when paying for the dresser, no one from the company contacted them to tell them that they should stop using the dresser or move it into a room where their child would not have access to it.

The lawyers representing the Dudek family explained that the issue lies with the liability of the company when producing a product and the liability of that company to make people fully aware of recalls. If recalls are only announced on the news, for example, many consumers would not know about them simply because they do not watch the news. 

The Dangers of Defective Products

It was due to the defective product and the failure to aggressively advertise the recall in a number of ways to the consumers that Ikea ended up reaching a settlement of $46 million with the Dudek family. The Dudek family is receiving the largest wrongful death of a child payout from Ikea. In the past, Ikea did issue a massive payment of $50 million, but the money was equally distributed between three families.

Joleen and Craig will never forget their son, Jozef. They will continue to fight for more consumer rights in his name. They have already agreed to donate a portion of their settlement to groups that regularly provide insight on recalls and other consumer-related issues that people need to be aware of.

Contact a Pittsburgh Personal Injury Lawyer to Discuss Your Product Liability Case in Pennsylvania

Did you or a loved one sustain serious injuries due to product liability in Pennsylvania? Don’t let the medical bills pile up while you wait for the negligent party, or their insurance company, to do the right thing. Right now, you need an aggressive personal injury attorney on your side and fighting to get you the compensation you need, want, and deserve. The skilled attorneys at Berger & Lagnese, LLC represent clients injured because of a defective product in Pittsburgh, Butler, Erie, Uniontown, and throughout Pennsylvania. Call (412) 471-4300 or fill out our online contact form to schedule a free consultation about your case. We have an office conveniently located at 310 Grant St #720, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.

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