Charlie Holt and his family were enjoying dinner at a rotating restaurant when the five-year-old’s head was crushed by the moving wall. Despite immediate attempts to free him, Charlie died later the same day due to his severe injuries.
His family are now suing the Atlanta hotel, accusing them of negligence as well as not correcting false information that suggested the parents were at fault for Charlie’s death.
The couple said they were leaving the restaurant, using the same path they used to enter, but a shifting wall blocked their path.
“As Charlie walked around the booth (following the path toward the exit), he was suddenly trapped in a pinch point between the wooden booth and the stationary interior wall,” says the complaint.
“Charlie’s parents were only a few feet behind him and immediately went to help him. … There was no safety device to stop the floor’s rotation automatically. The restaurant continued to turn, wrenching Charlie deeper into the narrowing pinch point.
“The Holts screamed for help, for someone to stop the movement. It didn’t stop. … Michael repeatedly threw his body weight against the booth, but it would not budge.
“Michael literally tore the booth apart with his hands, but could not free Charlie.”
Sickeningly, the complaint says Mr Holt heard his son’s skull crack before they were able to free him, gasping for air.
“The family has filed this law suit to set the record straight about what happened and to make sure, to the best of their abilities, that no other family ever has to suffer the same fate,” Lawyer Joseph Fried’s statement said.
“After Charlie’s death, Marriott has said that it won’t allow the restaurant to revolve again until it has addressed the dangerous pinch points.
“Marriott should not have waited for this tragedy before acting to correct this hazard, especially while it held itself out as a safe place for kids.”
Jeff Flaherty, a spokesman for parent firm Marriott International Inc., told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the company had no comment.
