5-Year-Old Boy Crushed to Death by Rotating Restaurant in Front of Parents

ghostxtiger · #1 ● 04-15-2017, 10:52 PM

http://people.com/food/boy-crushed-r...book_peoplemag

A 5-year-old boy died Friday after being crushed to death by a revolving restaurant in Atlanta.

The incident occurred at the Sun Dial, a 73-story restaurant at the top of Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel that rotates full circle, offering 360-degree views of the city, police said, USA Today reports.

The child and his family were visiting from Charlotte and had went to the restaurant for lunch, Atlanta Police Department spokesman Warren Pickard said, according to USA Today. The boy wandered 4 to 5 feet away from his parents’ table when he became entrapped between a rotating portion of the floor and a wall, a space of about 4 to 5 inches, Pickard said.

“We simply think he lost sight of his parents and panicked and found himself in that situation,” Pickard said, according to USA Today. “A small child doesn’t know what to do in those moments, and it crushed his little small body.”

Staff and dining guests immediately tried to give the child first aid, Pickard said. “They were moving furniture, they were pulling chairs — chairs that were bolted to the floor — they were pulling them up to try to get the child out,” he explained.

The hotel manager for the Westin Peachtree Plaza, George Reed, said in a statement that the hotel will continue working with authorities and assist in them in investigation, according to USA Today.

“Words cannot express the depths of our sorrow. Our thoughts remain with the family,” he said.

divreaper · #2 ● 04-15-2017, 11:51 PM

Poor kid,��

Desensitisation · #3 ● 04-16-2017, 04:12 AM

Sounds like a design fail if the gap is 4-5 inches. Shouldn't there be some sort of shield covering that as well?
Either way, poor kid.

loonodingle · #4 ● 04-16-2017, 08:40 AM

Madness to even have a design that has a small gap like that. You cannot even think of blaming the parents. RIP Little Lad

**kellyhound** · #5 ● 04-18-2017, 02:32 AM

Anzola, who lives in Cumming, said family members and friends were visiting from his native Venezuela, so a group of 10 went sightseeing Friday.

“I was actually giving them a tour of the city and downtown,” Anzola said. “We went upstairs to see the view.”

Anzola remembers pointing out the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium to his cousin just when the commotion started.

“We didn’t know if it was a robbery or someone with a gun, we didn’t know,” he said.

Even when he saw adults trying desperately to move a table, Anzola couldn’t imagine what had happened. There was a loud boom, and the famous rotating floor stopped, and Anzola could hear a boy’s cries.

“It was only his head stuck, nothing else,” Anzola said. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”

A friend from Venezuela, Marco Asuaje, doesn’t speak English, but has worked for 20 years as a first responder, Anzola said. Asuaje immediately rushed to help.

Instead of pulling the boy’s body, Asuaje urged others to help move the table to free him, Anzola said.

“We need people to push!” someone yelled, and Anzola jumped in.

As many as six people pulled the table as Asuaje used another piece of furniture almost as a lever to free the boy, who by then had lost consciousness.

“A few seconds later, Charlie fell into his dad’s arms,” Anzola said.

The boy’s father attempted CPR on the boy before paramedics and police officers arrived. Charlie was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, but did not survive. Anzola said he still can’t imagine how the boy had gotten stuck, and it was heartbreaking to watch.

“He must’ve put his head in that position just perfectly, perfect timing,” he said. “Everything came together perfectly for this kid to get himself in this position.”

His group of family and friends were devastated to find out Charlie had died, Anzola said. The restaurant closed after the incident and is expected to remain closed indefinitely, a spokesperson said Friday.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family,” hotel manager George Reed said in emailed statement.

rip little one