Nearly 40,000 Bunk Beds Recalled Over Fatal Entrapment & Strangulation Hazard

Parents with children who sleep in bunk beds are urged to exercise caution after the death of a 2-year-old boy in Columbus, Ohio, was linked to a bunk bed. Nearly 40,000 Angel Line bunk beds with angled ladders were recalled last week due to serious and potentially fatal entrapment and strangulation hazards, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced.

Three models of Angel Line bunk beds — all of which have angled ladders — have been recalled by the New Jersey company and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission over concerns children may become trapped in a gap between the ladder’s steps and the bed frame and strangle themselves to death. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, a metal hook used to fasten the angled ladder to the top bunk bed frame can be moved or detached from the frame when the ladder is lifted, effectively creating a gap between the ladder’s steps and the bed frame of more than 3.5 inches.

The death of a toddler has prompted concerns that children can become entrapped in the gap and strangle to death. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, a 2-year-old boy living in Columbus, Ohio, was found unresponsive after becoming trapped in a gap between his bunk bed and the bed’s ladder in May 2018.

The recalled bunk beds include Angel Line’s Fremont Twin over Twin Bunk Bed with model numbers 71210-21, 71210-49 and 71210-67, Angel Line’s Creston Twin over Twin Bunk Bed with model numbers 71230-21, 71230-49 and 71230-75, and Angel Line’s Brandon Twin over Full Bunk Bed with model numbers 71420-21 and 71420-75. Recalled models were reportedly sold online through Amazon, Walmart, Wayfair, and OJ Commerce from March 2016 to June 2021 at a price point of between $180 and $330, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has noted.

While Angel Line has described the issue as “a violation of the federal standard for bunk beds,” families that do own one of the recalled models of bunk beds don’t have to toss out the bed completely. Instead, Angel Line has designed reinforcement brackets that can be self-installed to remedy the problem and prevent injuries. The brackets have been approved by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Reinforcement brackets will be sent free of charge to all families who fill out Angel Line’s online repair kit order form. Along with providing their name and address, consumers will also need to supply their bunk bed model number and date of manufacture, both of which can be found on the bed’s headboard panels. Consumers can reach out to Angel Line at 844-542-0694 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT Monday through Friday or via email at repairkit@angelline.com. Additional information regarding the bunk bed’s recall can also be obtained from the company’s website.

Due to the potential safety hazard, Angel Line has urged families to stop using the three recalled models of bunk beds until they have obtained and installed the approved reinforcement brackets.