POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A Pompano Beach community is in mourning after, authorities said, a 2-year-old girl was killed in an accident that involved a piece of furniture.
Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the scene at a home in the area of Northeast 14th Terrace and 52nd Avenue, Friday morning.
Investigators said the 911 call came in at around 8:40 a.m.
BSO Public Information Officer Carey Codd said furniture in the victim’s bedroom played a role.
“What I can tell you preliminarily at this point is that an incident involving a piece of furniture led to a medical emergency for a child,” he said.
Neighbors said first responders arrived to the scene quickly.
Officials said the child was pronounced dead in her bedroom. She was later identified as Hope Ford.
“It’s heartbreaking just to know that you feel their pain, because you know the family. You feel their pain,” said neighbor Cheryl Jones.
Neighbor Robert Aratari said he knew something was wrong when he heard screaming.
“I was kinda dozing off when I heard … When you know a mother’s scream, a guttural scream, that something horrible has gone on, I knew instantly that something horribly went wrong,” he said. “I went, ‘Oh, no. Please don’t let it be something with the child or the baby,’ and sure enough it was.”
Codd said the tragedy is unimaginable for any family.
“Any loss of life is tragic. Whenever someone dies, people who love that person or were close to that person, they suffer, and they grieve,” he said. “It’s all the more heartbreaking and sad because it’s a young child.”
As Ford’s loved ones grieve, authorities said, the incident is a painful reminder for all parents. To avoid these accidents, they provided the following tips:
- keep bookshelves, china cabinets and dressers secured to a wall
- stay away from furniture with footholds
- load the bottom of furniture with heavy items to keep the center of gravity low
- securely attach TVs to a wall or stand, the higher up, the better
BSO detectives continue to investigate.
“At this point, detectives are interviewing people who were inside the home [and] they’re gathering evidence from the scene,” said Codd. “The medical examiner’s office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death.”
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