The daughter of an Illinois woman who died after being stuck in her “faulty” smart bed for two days has reportedly gone to court accusing the company of negligence, even though the product did not have a built-in mechanism to free oneself.
“Sleep Number Corporation is strictly liable for Ms. Walker’s injury, suffering and death. The Sleep Number bed was defective and unreasonably dangerous in its design and lack of warning,” Rosalind Walker’s daughter, Angela Moan, complained in a lawsuit filed last week in Saint Louis County, according to NBC News.
More than a year ago, in March 2023, his 80-year-old mother was trapped for two days between the wall and her smart bed after it suddenly ‘lowered without warning’, with ‘such force’ that the woman would have been unable to free herself, the prosecution alleged.
The octogenarian remained trapped in her position for two days before being freed by the first responders, who then rushed her to a hospital, according to the American media.
Capture d’écran, funeral home Elias, Kallal & Schaaf
Unfortunately, the woman never recovered from this incident.
“She suffered all this time until her death on April 3, 2023,” her daughter continued in the wrongful death complaint, NBC News said.
According to Angela Moan, Sleep Number Corp. and Leggett & Platt Inc., which designed, marketed, sold and warranted the smart bed, breached their duty by failing to add any warning to their product, nor an “appropriate release mechanism” to prevent entrapment, perhaps we read.
“Something as common as an adjustable bed should not be a trap,” Ted Gianaris, Angela Moan’s lawyer, told NBC News. We look forward to hearing from companies as to why they have not sold a safer bed.”
The woman is seeking compensation above the jurisdictional amount of US$25,000, according to the American media, but the total amount was not specified.
For their part, the two companies said they were made aware of the incident when the complaint was filed last week.
“We extend our sincere condolences to Ms. Walker’s family on their tragic loss,” Sleep Number said in a statement. Currently, our legal team is reviewing the lawsuit. Sleep Number guarantees the design and safety of its products and complies with any necessary requests or actions.”
“We take all incidents seriously and are committed to fully understanding the circumstances surrounding this situation,” added Jennifer Davis, executive vice president of the legal department at Leggett & Platt, according to NBC News.
