Woman dies after 'mechanical bed had her trapped against wall for two days’
Rosalind Walker, 80, was allegedly pinned by her Sleep Number bed
An elderly grandmother has died after allegedly being trapped against a wall for two days by her bed.
According to a lawsuit, Rosalind Walker, 80, was pinned by her Sleep Number bed, which left her stuck in between the bed and the wall of her bedroom.
It occurred on 1 March 2023, after the lawsuit described how it ‘lowered itself without warning’ on the unsuspecting grandmother.
Walker, from Godfrey, Illinois, wasn’t found until two days later on 3 March and emergency response was able to remove her from in between the bed and wall.
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She was then taken to hospital for treatment before succumbing to her injuries.
According to the court documents seen by the Daily Mail, Walker’s daughter, Angela Moan states that the elderly woman was taken to a rehab facility before being brought home into hospice care.
Moan is suing Sleep Number, the bed company, as well as manufacturer Leggett & Platt.
She claims that for the month up until her mother died on 3 April 2023 she 'suffered the entire time' and is seeking more than $25,000 compensation for the suffering caused and related medical bills.
Ted Gianaris, Moan’s lawyer told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Mrs. Walker was trapped for two days and then she died.
“Something as common as an adjustable bed should not trap an elderly person. We look forward to hearing from Sleep Number about why it did not sell a safer bed.”
The reason Moan is targeting Sleep Number is because it allegedly 'designed and sold a bed that did not have adequate instructions or cautionary language, alerting Mrs. Walker not to go between the bed and the wall as she could be trapped.'
“Sleep Number Corporation is strictly liable for Mrs. Walker’s injuries, her suffering, and her death,” the complaint says. “The Sleep Number Bed was defective and unreasonably dangerous in its design and lack of warning.”
The documents also claimed that both companies 'designed, manufactured, marketed, sold and warrantied the Sleep Number bed’ and 'designed and sold a bed that did not have an adequate audible warning alerting Mrs. Walker it was declining'.
Another issue is that it 'did not have an appropriate release mechanism which would have allowed Mrs. Walker to free herself'.
The suit added: “This negligence was the proximate cause of Mrs. Walker's injuries, suffering, and she died.”
It also noted that the bed supposedly ‘lowered with such force’ that Walker could not free herself.
A Sleep Number spokesperson told LADbible: "Sleep Number is aware of the recent lawsuit filed against the company and Leggett and Platt, the manufacturer of its adjustable base.
"The suit alleges that a malfunctioning adjustable base purchased in 2014 was a contributing factor in the death of Rosalind Walker.
"We understand that this incident is alleged to have occurred in March 2023; we were notified of the alleged incident after the lawsuit was filed last week, December 10.
"We extend our sincere condolences to the family of Ms. Walker for their tragic loss.
"Currently, our legal team is reviewing the lawsuit. Sleep Number stands by the design and safety of its products and is complying with any necessary inquiries or actions."
Leggett & Platt, the manufacturer said Friday 13 December, with Jennifer Davis, the Executive Vice President of General Counsel, saying: “First and foremost, we want to extend our condolences to the family of Ms. Walker. We take all incidents seriously and are committed to fully understanding the circumstances surrounding this situation.
"Our legal team is reviewing the available information and is committed to providing our full cooperation with the legal process.”
LADbible has contacted Sleep Number and Leggett & Platt for a comment.
Britt Jones