West Covina girl dies when TV falls on her

A 6-year-old West Covina girl died after a 32-inch TV fell on her, police said today.

Jasmine Starr Ilgenfritz was playing with her 1- and 3-year-old siblings Saturday morning when the TV accidentally dislodged from the living-room table it was on, said Lt. David Rozeboom of the West Covina Police Department.

She died later at a nearby hospital, said Lt. Joe Bale of the L.A. County coroner's office.

There were no adult witnesses; the children were being supervised by a grandparent who was in the next room and did not see the accident, Rozeboom said. No one else was injured.

-- Baxter Holmes

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Comments

[Sirene]

Shouldn't large screen TVs be secured with earthquake straps?

[Aaron]

They should be...but you know how it is...not everyone thinks through safety in the same way.

[Devils Advocate]

When its your time to go, its your time to go. 32 inch TV is not even that big.

[Tom]

that's why wall mounting, although expensive, is the way to go with these larger TV's

[Eric]

Sirene:

Good point. With today's TV's stylishly slim base platforms, there is good potential for one to tip forward when something like a child tumbling into a table would create a huge hazard from the TV above. If you love your children, assess the hazards in the home, and secure items as if a quake was coming.

[El Lay Dave]

A 32-inch flat-screen TV doesn't weigh enough to kill a six year old girl. They are about 19 pounds, and all 19 pounds aren't striking her in one place. This was likely a 32-inch TV with a tube, typically 110 pounds or so, which are notoriously front-heavy and a bit easy to tip over if it overhangs the front of the table or stand they are resting upon.