“The guilt and shame has all but consumed me, knowing that if I had taken the precautions of anchoring this dresser, my baby would still be here,” her mom said

A 2-year-old girl was fatally crushed by an antique dresser while trying to reach one of her toys.

On Jan. 8, Helena Cochrane was climbing on the open drawers of an 80-pound “antique dresser” when it suddenly fell on top of her, crushing her to death just days before her third birthday.

“It happened so quickly and so silently, and our lives changed forever,” the late toddler’s mom, Taryn, wrote on social media after the tragedy, per Jam Press. “The unimaginable happened.”

“The guilt and shame has all but consumed me, knowing that if I had taken the precautions of anchoring this dresser, my baby would still be here and her sister would still have her best friend,” she continued. “It was so unexpected and not something I would’ve ever thought about being a threat, because of how large and heavy that dresser was, as do many other parents.”

Upon realizing that similar accidents occur far too often, Taryn made it her mission to share her family’s story in hopes that other parents would be more diligent in safely securing their furniture.

“I wanted to share my pain in losing my daughter from a mistake I made so that others are more cautious and aware that this very tragedy is so real,” she explained in her post. “Not only to me, but so many others that are silently struggling in their guilt.”

“I made the decision after her birthday passed and how excruciating the grief was for not only me, but my entire family,” she added. “It was so intense, it moved me in the direction of ‘How can I prevent this happening to someone else’s child and their family so that no one has to feel the pain, guilt, and grief I feel on a day to day basis?’ ”

Emphasizing that “no parent should outlive their babies,” Taryn went on to warn other parents that “thousands of children are injured every year” when pieces of furniture unexpectedly topple over.

“Most of the time it happens because a curious child tries to climb or pull themselves up. But it takes only a second for something heavy to fall, and the consequences can be devastating,” she wrote. “I cannot express enough how important it is to secure every piece of furniture you can, especially dressers when child-proofing your home. Anchoring takes only a small amount of time but can make all the difference in the world.”

Source: https://people.com/girl-2-crushed-to-death-after-climbing-80-lb-dresser-to-reach-toy-11977094