According to a recent complaint, an 80-year-old woman passed away a month after her Sleep Number bed unexpectedly moved and imprisoned her against a wall for two days last year.
at a complaint filed Tuesday, Rosalind Walker’s daughter, Angela Moan, claims that on March 1, 2023, her Sleep Number bed, which had its adjustable base at a higher position, suddenly descended, trapping her between the bed and the wall of her Godfrey, Illinois, bedroom.
According to the lawsuit, Walker was trapped and unable to release herself when the bed abruptly dropped with such force.
Until emergency responders eventually freed her on March 3, she was still trapped in that position in the bedroom.
According to the complaint, she was brought to a hospital, moved to a rehabilitation facility, and then sent home on hospice care.
According to the suit, she endured suffering until her death on April 3, 2023.
In St. Louis County, Missouri, Moan filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Sleep Number Corp. and Leggett & Platt Inc., the companies that created, produced, advertised, sold, and provided a warranty for the bed.
On October 19, 2014, Walker purchased the bed in Brentwood, Missouri, with a 25-year warranty. Later, it was brought to Walker’s Godfrey residence.
According to the complaint, the defendants failed to have an audible warning system to warn that the bed was deteriorating, sold the bed without proper instructions or warning language that a person could become trapped between the bed and a wall, and lacked “an appropriate release mechanism that would have allowed Walker to free herself.”
According to the complaint, Sleep Number Corporation bears strict liability for Mrs. Walker’s injuries, suffering, and demise. Due to flaws in its design and lack of warning, the Sleep Number Bed was unsafe and unreasonable.
Moan claims strict culpability, carelessness, wrongful death, and warranty breach. The lawsuit demands damages for Walker’s injuries, suffering, and death as well as for associated medical expenses and “the loss of her mother’s society.”
It requests compensation in excess of the $25,000 jurisdictional cap.
On Thursday, Sleep Number acknowledged that it was aware of the case.
We were informed of the purported occurrence following the lawsuit’s filing this week, December 10, and we are aware that it is said to have happened in March 2023. We offer our deepest sympathies to Ms. Walker’s family for their untimely loss,” the statement read. “The lawsuit is presently being examined by our legal staff. Sleep Number supports the safety and design of its products and complies with any required investigations or measures.
The adjustable base’s maker, Leggett & Platt, stated on Friday that they were initially made aware of the event through the Dec. 10 filing.
We would first and foremost like to offer our sympathies to Ms. Walker’s family. We are dedicated to completely comprehending the details behind this scenario and take all incidents seriously.” General Counsel Executive Vice President Jennifer Davis stated. “Our legal team is examining the information at hand and is dedicated to offering the legal process our complete cooperation.
Similar to how elevators have sensors to keep closing force low to minimize injury, Ted Gianaris, an attorney for Moan, told NBC News on Thursday that the bed’s designers should have improved systems to prevent entrapment.
He claimed that although this bed is designed to have a timer that allows it to lower itself, it lacks an alert, a sensor, and a release.
The passing of a lively, self-sufficient woman is heartbreaking. Mrs. Walker died after being confined for two days. Gianaris stated that something as commonplace as an adjustable bed shouldn’t be a trap. “We are eager to learn from the companies why they chose not to market a safer bed.
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