The family of a five-year-old boy who was crushed to death earlier this year at the Sun Dial restaurant is suing its owners for negligence.
Charlie Holt was killed on April 14, 2017, after he was trapped between the rotating portion of the restaurant's floor and wall, a space of only about four to five inches.
Charlie and his family were visiting from Charlotte, N.C. and were at the restaurant for lunch. The boy's parents were sitting at the table and the child apparently wandered 4 to 5 feet away.
The Sun Dial sits atop the Westin Peachtree Plaza, and the lawsuit names Marriott International, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, and others as defendants.
“We went to the Sundial Restaurant because it was recommended as a fun place for families with kids to see the Atlanta skyline and enjoy a meal,” said Michael Holt, Charlie's father.
Rebecca Holt, the boy's mother, added, “What started out as the best family trip, turned into the worst nightmare that no parent should ever have to face.”
According to the Holt's attorneys, there was no guard to prevent people from getting trapped in the area where the boy was caught. There was no emergency stop button on the wall and no automatic safety cut off if someone got trapped.
"By the time someone could manually stop the rotation, it was too late," the family's attorneys said in a statement. "Charlie’s head had been pulled into the narrow pinch point and he suffered catastrophic head trauma, right in front of his parents.
"If Marriott had acted responsibly in the face of this known safety hazard, this tragedy would have been prevented," the attorneys 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."
