Since 1990, the CPSC has received reports of at least 57 deaths due to suffocation when children become entrappedin spaces in the top bunk. Some bunk beds have openings large enough for a child’s body to pass through, but small enough to trap the child’s head. Since 2007, more than 402,450 wooden and metal bunk beds have been recalled. In December 1999, CPSC voted to institute mandatory bunk bed standards. The new standard addresses entrapment of children in both adult and child bunk beds that result in an estimated 10 child fatalities each year.
A study about bunk bed-related injuries was published in the June 2008 issue of Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The study looked at nonfatal bunk bed-related injuries treated in US emergency departments from 1990 to 2005 involving individuals under the age of 21.
The main findings of the study include the following:
- An estimated 572,580 children and adolescents were treated for non-fatal injuries over the 16-year period, on average 35,690 individuals per year.
- Children under the age of six suffered the majority of the bunk bed injuries and were at the highest risk for death resulting from head entrapment and collapsing mattresses.
- Lacerations were the most common type of injury (about 30%), followed by contusions and abrasions (24%) and fractures (about 20%).
- The body parts most frequently injured were the head and neck.
- Falls were the most common mechanism of injury (about 73%). However, while playing or sleeping children sustain injuries resulting from falls, jumps, bunk bed ladders, bed malfunctions, and striking the bed.
Bunk bed-related injuries remained fairly consistent over the 16-year period.
More Information on Bunk Beds
Bunk Bed Safety Alert
CPSC Warns Consumers of Bunk Bed Entrapment Hazard and Mattress Support
Danny’s Story
On May 12, 1998, 16-month-old Daniel Keysar was strangled to death at his licensed childcare facility when a Playskool Travel-Lite portable crib collapsed, trapping his neck in the “V” of its folded rails.
Aiden’s Story
Aiden suffocated on the crib bumper pad in his crib. He was six months old. "My beloved grandson was literally the light of my life."
Ellie’s Story
Ellie died when the changing table attachment on a play yard came down on the back of her neck as she stood up. She was thirteen months old.
Liam’s Story
Liam died when he was entrapped by the defective drop-side of his crib. He was nine months old.
Jared’s Story
Jared was strangled when the top rails of his portable crib collapsed. He was eight months old.
Riley’s Story
Riley was strangled when the side rail of her portable crib collapsed around her neck. She was 10 months old.
Ethan’s Story
Ethan died just months after Riley when he was strangled in the same type portable crib. He was eight months old.