Placentia Boy, 5, Dies After Dresser, TV Fall on Him

A 5-year-old Placentia boy was crushed to death Thursday when a dresser and a 200-pound television fell on him as he reached for a videotape, police said.

The 60-pound wood dresser was wobbly and old, and collapsed when Edwin Ramos apparently climbed onto it, said Corinne Loomis, a Placentia police spokeswoman.

“The dresser was extremely rickety and, of course, with a 200-pound TV on top, it was top-heavy and flipped over,” Loomis said. “Our preliminary investigation suggests that this was an accident.”

It was the second such death in Orange County in the last nine months. In December, 16-month-old Jason Ta of Santa Ana died after reaching for a videotape atop a 32-inch television. The TV had toppled and crushed the boy.

In the latest incident, Edwin Ramos’ mother called police about 12:15 p.m. to their home at the Park Placentia Apartments in the 700 block of La Jolla Street. The mother, whose name wasn’t released by police, was frantic and speaking in Spanish, Loomis said.

Officers found the boy pinned face-up underneath the white dresser with the television by his side, police said.

“The child had severe facial injuries,” Loomis said. “Officers ... did chest compressions, but he did not respond.”

Edwin, a kindergartner, was taken to Placentia Linda Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 1 p.m., police said.

The boy’s mother, another woman and seven children were home when the incident occurred, police said.

As many as 10,000 people a year are treated for injuries involving tipped-over furniture, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates. About six people a year die from such accidents.