An Illinois woman is suing after she says her mother was pinned between her Sleep Number bed and a wall for two days, leading to her death.
On Oct. 19, 2014, Rosalind Walker bought a Sleep Number bed in Brentwood, Missouri, according to a civil complaint filed on Dec. 10.
McClatchy News reached out to Sleep Number for comment on Dec. 11 but did not immediately hear back.
The bed came with a 25-year warranty and instructions and was delivered to Walker’s home in Godfrey, Illinois.
On March 1, 2023, the bed’s “adjustable foundation was in a raised position.” Walker was between the bed and her bedroom wall when the bed “lowered without warning,” according to the lawsuit.
Walker was trapped between the bed and the wall for two days, until she was freed on March 3 by emergency responders, the lawsuit said.
Walker was taken to a hospital, then transferred to a rehabilitation center before being released home on Hospice care, the court document said.
On April 3, one month after being found, Walker died, according to the lawsuit.
“She suffered the entire time,” the lawsuit said.
Walker, an 80-year-old mother and grandmother, was an active member of the community and “a fierce and loyal friend,” her obituary said.
According to the court document, “Sleep Number Corporation breached the duty of reasonable care” by designing and selling a bed without adequate instructions. There was no cautionary language alerting Walker that she could become trapped if she went in between the bed and the wall, the lawsuit said.
The bed was set on a timer, causing it to decline automatically without warning, the lawsuit said. It also didn’t have a release mechanism that would have allowed Walker to free herself.
The lawsuit is asking for an undetermined amount in damages.
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