Sleep Number Bed Traps 80-Year-Old Woman for Two Days Leading to Her Death, Argues New Lawsuit

The daughter of an 80-year-old woman has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the makers of a Sleep Number bed after her mother, Rosalind Walker, died from injuries sustained after getting trapped in the bed.

The lawsuit was filed in a St. Louis County, Missouri, court against the makers of the bed, Sleep Number Corp. and Leggett & Platt Inc. The lawsuit alleges that a defective Sleep Number bed contributed to her mother’s death. Walker passed away on April 3, 2023, just one month after her adjustable bed trapped her against a wall for two days, according to the lawsuit filed by her daughter, Angela Moan.

In Missouri, a wrongful death lawsuit allows the family of a deceased individual to seek compensation for losses resulting from another party’s negligence or wrongdoing. Loved ones can recover damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, funeral costs, the loss of companionship brought on by their loved one, and other damages. Plaintiffs must show that the defendant’s actions directly caused the death of their loved ones.

Moan argues in her complaint that Sleep Number and the other named parties are directly responsible for her mother’s death. According to the lawsuit, on March 1, 2023, Walker’s Sleep Number bed suddenly lowered without warning, and the force of the movement pinned Walker between the bed and the wall in her bedroom.

Walker was unable to free herself and remained trapped for two days until first responders arrived at her home to rescue her.

After Walker was rescued, she was hospitalized and then transferred to a rehabilitation facility. Walker was then sent home on hospice care. She would later pass away just one month after she was trapped by the bed.

Sleep Number Corporation and Leggett & Platt Inc., the manufacturer of the adjustable base, are accused of failing to provide adequate instructions or warnings about the risk of entrapment.

The lawsuit also accuses the defendants of designing the bed without an audible warning system to alert users of unintended movement. Moan further argues that the defendants were negligent in not including an emergency release mechanism that would have freed trapped individuals. Had these measures been in place, Moan alleges in her complaint, her mother may have been able to free herself or could have avoided entrapment altogether.

The lawsuit goes on to argue that the bed was defective and unreasonably dangerous, making the companies strictly liable for Walker’s injuries and her subsequent death.

The wrongful death lawsuit is seeking compensation exceeding $25,000. The lawsuit cites negligence, wrongful death, strict liability, and breach of warranty.

The lawsuit is also seeking damages for medical expenses, Walker’s suffering, and the loss of her companionship.

After Walker's death, both Sleep Number Corporation and Leggett & Platt issued statements that expressed their condolences to Walker’s family. Their statements maintained their commitment to product safety as well and explained that their legal team was reviewing the case.

Jennifer Davis, Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Leggett & Platt, said, “We take all incidents seriously and are committed to fully understanding the circumstances surrounding this situation.”