Last Winter Consumer Alert reported on the local family which was changed forever when their small daughter was killed by falling furniture.

Now, there is another step in getting the word out about the dangers of falling furniture.

A new playground was dedicated at McKinley School. It was the latest effort by Bob and Judy Lambert for their Katie Elise Lambert Foundation.

Along with the McKinley parent-teacher association, the foundation funded the playground that was quickly embraced by happy, carefree, little ones.

Sadly, Katie Elise would never play there. She was killed in 2005 when a wardrobe cabinet came crashing down on her.”I heard a crash and came back and didn’t see Katie. I saw a hundred little pieces and Katie was underneath,” said Judy Lambert.

“There’s a hidden enemy in your house and it’s a piece of furniture,” Bob Lambert said.Since that tragedy, the Lamberts have been reaching out to the public-remembering Katie with the butterfly release last summer and trying to reach parents about the dangers of furniture in their home.

Studies show that 8,000 to 12,000 children are injured each year by furniture that was pulled over or knocked over. Nobody knows how many have died.But the Lamberts said the solution is as easy as anchoring the furniture to the wall with hardware you can find at your local home improvement store.

The Lamberts want all parents to take steps to ensure their children are safe — not just on the school playground, but in their homes as well.