THE parents of a little boy killed when a television fell on his head are hoping to raise awareness to prevent another family tragedy.
Riley Cooke was 15 months old when he died of his injuries at Hull Royal Infirmary following the accident at his family's home.
His parents Steve and Cheryl Cooke have vowed to do all they can to educate other parents about hidden dangers.
Mrs Cooke, 31, who is organising a fun day next month in Goole, with an emphasis on safety around the home, said: "If our story saves just one child we will have achieved our goal."
Riley climbed on to a chest of drawers in his parents' bedroom, which resulted in a 28in television sliding off the top and striking his head.
IT engineer Mr Cooke, 33, said: "My wife still finds it really hard to talk about what happened that day.
"Cheryl was changing our daughter Makenna's nappy in our bedroom. She was seven weeks old at the time.
"Riley had asked if he could watch TV. He was told to wait a minute until Mummy had seen to his little sister. Cheryl was leaning over the cot.
"She turned round to see the television falling on to Riley."
Riley was taken by ambulance to Goole Hospital, before being transferred to Hull Royal Infirmary, where he died less than two hours later.
Mr Cooke said he had deliberately chosen a stable, high surface – out of reach of little arms – to place the television on.
"Unfortunately, Riley had opened the bottom drawer and stood in it," said Mr Cooke. "It was enough to cause the chest of drawers to swivel, which, in turn, caused the TV to slide off."
Mr Cooke, who is also father to Dray, 12, and Theo, five, said: "I want people to learn from what happened to us.
"Believe me, not a single day goes by that I don't reflect on what happened. I ask myself, 'Was there anything I could have done to prevent it?'
"I blamed myself. My wife blamed herself.
"But accidents are called accidents for a reason. It is not about blame."
Mr Cooke said Riley was a happy little boy who doted on his little sister.
He said: "Riley was a very proud big brother. Whenever we had visitors the first thing Riley would do is grab their hand and lead them to see his baby sister.
"Riley was lively, happy and fun. He was always on the go, but relaxed at the same time."
The tragedy, which happened in May 2004, hit their local community hard. Mr Cooke said: "It devastated not only us as his immediate family, but also his extended family and our friends. People in Goole were shocked it could have happened."
Mr and Mrs Cooke, a party organiser and host, are suffering from depression.
But Mr Cooke says their campaign is helping them deal with their emotions as they cope with life without their much-loved son
"We want a glimmer of something good to come out of something so awful and tragic," he said. "People are just not aware of the dangers in the home.
"Simple measures such as fitting the TV to a wall bracket or using straps could have saved our son and that's the message we want to get out there.
"We are deliberately tugging on the heartstrings of parents and we make no apology for that. We want parents to think this could happen to their little boy or girl and we hope it makes them look at safety."
A Facebook page called "Remember Riley" detailing the family's campaign has almost 2,500 members and has attracted international attention.
A fun day, where tips to improve home safety will be available, will take place on Sunday, July 14, from 10am to 4pm, at West Park in Goole.
