A story in the news brings to light once again the dangers of injury and accident in the home, and how accidents could happen in ways we don’t expect.

69-year-old Inga Walen was trapped for four days in her kichen after her refrigerator fell on top of her.

The fridge toppled on the Roseville, CA woman as she opened its door because there was too much weight on top shelves and much less weight on the bottom shelves. Inga was able to reach a wooden spoon and a pan lid with which she banged noisily and cried for help.

A local politician, Greg Allen, was campaigning door-to-door when he heard her cries for help and rescued her from her four-day ordeal.

Inga broke her collar bone and injured her legs but survived her ordeal. As for Allen, she says she doesn’t care which political party he belongs to, he’s got her vote.

At this site there’s a Housing Safety Checklist that points out common things that can cause accident or injury in the home. I did notice that it doesn’t list unbalanced refrigerators.

Perhaps a good item to add to the list is to make sure that all large or heavy appliances are in areas where the floor is level or, if they have adjustable leveling feet, that they are set properly so there is no risk of them toppling over from uneven weight loads.

Above all, read the checklist and make yourself aware of common risks and dangers that could cause unnecessary injury or even death.