One families trip to an Atlanta restaurant took a tragic turn earlier this year, and now the parents have filed a lawsuit “against the 73-story hotel and restaurant where it happened” for negligence. Back on April 14, Michael and Rebecca Holt took their son, Charlie Holt, to the popular Sun Dial restaurant, a place well known for its revolving floors. Unfortunately, upon leaving after their meal, little Charlie became trapped “in a 5-inch gap between the furniture and a wall as the restaurant’s floor rotated in the opposite direction” while his parents and patrons tried desperately to free him.
One family’s trip to an Atlanta restaurant took a tragic turn earlier this year, and now the parents have filed a lawsuit “against the 73-story hotel and restaurant where it happened” for negligence. Back on April 14, Michael and Rebecca Holt took their son, Charlie Holt, to the popular Sun Dial restaurant, a place well known for its revolving floors. Unfortunately, upon leaving after their meal, little Charlie became trapped “in a 5-inch gap between the furniture and a wall as the restaurant’s floor rotated in the opposite direction” while his parents and patrons tried desperately to free him.
As a result of the accident, Charlie’s parents are seeking a “jury trial against Marriott International, where the Sun Dial restaurant is located, and a handful of others who they say knew the hazard existed.” According to the lawsuit, the couple believes “the restaurant’s turning mechanism was a long-standing hazard that turned fatal when their son’s head was crushed.”
To get a better picture of what happened that day, the lawsuit explains the scene of the accident in grisly detail:
“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. 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.”
Mr. Holt was joined by other restaurant patrons to try to stop the wall while Mrs. Holt held her other child. According to the lawsuit, Mrs. Holt “was absolutely hysterical…and at times had to be physically restrained.”
Tragically and despite the efforts of the boy’s father and other patrons, Charlie’s “head was eventually pulled into a space only a couple of inches wide and was crushed.” Shortly after, the “booth budged just enough to allow Charlie to be freed and he fell into his father’s arms, gasping for air.”
According to the lawsuit, the boy’s injuries were visibly severe, and though he was still breathing after being freed, he was “pronounced dead later that day, despite the heroic efforts of his family, first responders, doctors and even complete strangers.”
In addition to the complaints against the restaurant, the parents are also pushing back against “false narratives that emerged in the media suggesting they were somehow responsible for their son’s death.” According to that portion of the lawsuit, the “defendants have done nothing to correct the false information…As a result, the Holts suffered an injury to their reputation as parents as well as severe emotional distress from observing their 5-year-old son’s suffering and death.”
So far the restaurant’s parent firm, Marriott International Inc. has yet to comment on the matter.
Sources:
Marriott: ‘No comment’ on Sun Dial lawsuit alleging negligence in 5-year-old’s death
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