Woman Trapped by Sleep Number Bed for Two Days Dies from Injuries, 'Suffered Entire Time': Lawsuit

News By TooFab Staff |
Getty/Elias Kallal and Schaaf Funeral Home

In a lawsuit filed against the makers of the popular Sleep Number bed, a woman alleges that her 80-year-old mother became trapped after the bed "lowered without warning," ultimately succumbing to her injuries.

For one month, an Illinois woman alleges that her mother "suffered the entire time" before passing away on April 3, 2023 -- after having spent two days trapped between her Sleep Number bed and the wall.

Her daughter is seeking $25,000 for "predeath suffering and injuries, for the related medical bills" in a new lawsuit filed December 10.

The suit calls out Sleep Number Corporations and Leggett & Platt Incorporated, who "manufactured, marketed, sold and warrantied the Sleep Number Bed," per St. Louis CBS affiliate KMOV.

She claims in the suit a breach of the bed's 25-year warranty, while also calling it a "defective production." Her attorney has also indicated they will additionally be seeking a jury trial.

Rosalind Walker Trapped

Rosalind "Roz" Walker, 80, first acquired the bed in 2014. A decade later on March 1, 2023, the suit alleges that Walker had her bed in the "raised" position when she went to walk between it and the wall behind it.

The movable foundation of the bed "lowered without warning," per the lawsuit, leaving Walker pinned between it and the wall for two days. On March 3, 2023, she was freed from the bed by first responders and taken to the hospital where she was treated for unspecified injuries, according to the legal filing.

The woman's daughter, Angela Moan, details in her suit that from there, her mother was transferred first to a rehabilitation center before ultimately returning to her home and being placed under hospice care.

Moan filed her suit in St. Louis County, where the bed was originally purchased and from where it was delivered to Walker's home in Godfrey, Illinois.

The lawsuit is accusing the companies of negligence, arguing that the Sleep Number bed "did not have adequate instructions or cautionary language in the instructions or on the bed, alerting Mrs. Walker not to go between the bed and the wall as she could be trapped."

The suit also alleges that the bed operated on a timer and did not have a manual override system that would have allowed Walker to free herself once she was trapped. Additionally, the suit claims there is no audible warning in place before the bed would begin to lower itself.

A spokesperson for Sleep Number responded with a statement to KMOV: "Sleep Number is aware of the recent lawsuit filed against the company and Leggett and Platt, the manufacturer of its adjustable base."

"The suit alleges that a malfunctioning adjustable base purchased in 2014 was a contributing factor in the death of Rosalind Walker," the statement continued. "We understand that this incident is alleged to have occurred in March 2023; we were notified of the alleged incident after the lawsuit was filed yesterday, December 10. We extend our sincere condolences to the family of Ms. Walker for their tragic loss."

"Currently, our legal team is reviewing the lawsuit," the company concluded. "Sleep Number stands by the design and safety of its products and is complying with any necessary inquiries or actions."