San Diego Boy, 6, Crushed To Death By Refrigerator As Father Moved Appliance Inside
A San Diego boy, 6, was crushed to death by a refrigerator as his father moved the heavy appliance into the family’s home on Saturday afternoon. The refrigerator reportedly toppled over onto the child as the father removed the appliance from his truck. Neighbors recalled the horrific scene as authorities reveal that no charges are expected to be filed in the child’s death.
The Daily Mail reveals that a 6-year-old boy is dead following a freak accident at his family home. The child was reportedly standing nearby as his father attempted to move a heavy refrigerator from a truck into the house. As the father began moving the refrigerator, the unit tipped over and fell on top of the child, crushing him to death under its weight.
San Diego boy, six, is crushed to death by a falling refrigerator that was being moved by his father
— missmaybell (@missmaybell) June 26, 2016
A neighbor who heard the terrified screams of the boy’s mother says that the parents were screaming for help as they attempted to remove the fridge from the child. After the appliance was moved, the mother allegedly would not let go of her son telling emergency responders that she needed to be with her son.
“She was very emotional and even when police got her she was basically saying ‘I need to be with my son. I need to be with my son.’ They said, ‘You need to let the paramedics in so they can take of him.'”
The neighbor says that paramedics performed CPR on the child for 12 minutes before being rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. NBC San Diego reports that the San Diego Police and Child Abuse detectives interviewed the family following the horrific accident, but do not expect any charges to be filed. Instead, authorities say the investigation was routine following the death of a child.
6-year-old boy killed in San Diego when refrigerator falls on him https://t.co/u8yG5LekxV pic.twitter.com/BRrZIDzmYH
— KTLA (@KTLA) June 26, 2016
A friend of the little boy says that he is in shock over the passing of his friend and recalled how the pair would frequently ride bicycles around the neighborhood. Rafael Lopez says that the boy was “a good friend” and that he feels bad for the boy’s parents who he knows must be devastated at the loss.
“[It’s] difficult cause he was a good friend of ours. It must be devastating for his parents I mean he was just six,”
a #DiY delivery gone horribly wrong, sadly…
“@nbcsandiego: 6-year-old killed by falling refrigerator” https://t.co/iJcusEQkDD— ApplianceTechOfMarin (@ATOMsanRafael) June 26, 2016
The police note that there is no indication that the death was anything other than a freak accident. Though the case is tragic, the San Diego boy is not the only child to fall victim to heavy appliance accidents. Meghan’s Hope, a charity which raises awareness about the dangers of unsecured televisions, furniture, and appliances, notes that three children every hour, and 71 children every day, are injured by a fallen piece of furniture, a TV, or an appliance. The nonprofit organization encourages all families with small children to take a furniture child safety test to determine if risks exist in their home.
“3 children every hour and 71 children every day are injured by a fallen piece of furniture, a TV, or an appliance. A child dies on average every 2 weeks. None of them every thought it would be their child, either. If you are not sure, take our furniture safety quiz.“
Though the death of the San Diego child was the result of a moving accident, most of the deaths listed on Meghan’s Hope are from furniture tip-overs in the home. Meghan’s Hope notes that large appliances, furniture, and televisions are prone to falling on children because they are unstable and may easily tip. The refrigerator that was being moved in San Diego which resulted in the child’s death was large and toppled unexpectedly as the father was moving it from the truck.
[Image via Shutterstock]
