Comment from Shelley Deppa

I agree with this petition. I too have researched a bunk bed death that occurred in Arlington, Texas on 12/16/01 when a 19 month old male died from asphyxia due to entrapment between the mattress and vertical ladder in the lower bunk. The child was found between the side of the mattress and the vertical ladder stile, lying on his left side, his back against the mattress, the front of his neck pressed against a vertical ladder stile (that was 4-6" away from the mattress side), and his head and body on either side of the vertical ladder stile in unbounded width openings. He was entrapped in such a way that his thinnest body part front to back (neck) was wedged between mattress and vertical ladder stile, and his thicker body parts (head, torso) were in the unbounded width openings on either side of the stile. There was nothing stopping the mattress from sliding away from the ladder towards the other side, creating a hazardous opening.