A 22-month-old child in South Carolina has died after a dresser fell on her while she was staying at her grandparents' house, according to the Anderson County Coroner's Office. In a news release dated July 30, 2023, the Anderson County Coroner's Office reported that family members discovered the toddler, Ja'Laya Bryant, under a dresser drawer. After providing emergency medical care, EMS personnel transported the child to the hospital, where the toddler was pronounced dead at 12:22 p.m.
Jessica Fleming, the toddler's great aunt, spoke to Good Morning America about the incident, saying the family was told Ja'Laya went into cardiac arrest, then died from asphyxiation.
"You really don't think about it till it happens to your family, but tie the dressers down, pin them to the wall," Fleming said, adding that investigators believe the toddler was reaching for bracelets on top of the dresser. "Put stuff up where a toddler cannot pull it over on them, where an accident doesn't happen."
She reminded other families to take action to avoid tip-over accidents with young children.
"Accidents can happen literally within seconds especially with curious 22-month-olds," she said. "Take our heartache and devastation as a wake-up call for families to have furniture safely secured."
"Chief McCown advised that the child was staying at her grandparents’ house and apparently was trying to climb a dresser when it tumbled over and trapped her," the Anderson County Coroner's Office reported, noting that the investigation is ongoing. "The investigation indicates the child died due to asphyxiation and there appears to be no indication of foul play."
Fleming told Good Morning America the toddler was "a little ray of sunshine."
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The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that tip-over injuries required emergency room visits in 84,100 cases from 2006 to 2021.
"CPSC staff is aware of 234 fatalities resulting from clothing storage unit tip overs from January 2000 through April 2022, including 199 child fatalities. CPSC estimates that there were 84,100 tip-over-related injuries (an estimated annual average of 5,300 injuries) with clothing storage units that were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments from 2006 through 2021," the Consumer Product Safety Commission noted in a statement.
