Door Kills Girl in Philadelphia: 3-Year-Old Was Trapped Under Metal Grate as Dozens Attempted to Save Her
A door killed a girl Saturday in Philadelphia while the child was standing by an ice cream shop, according to reports. 3-year-old Wynter Larkin had been in front of Rita's Water Ice store when the metal grate dropped and pinned her to the ground, and despite the best efforts of multiple witnesses, she died shortly afterwards.
The door that killed the girl was initially attached to the front of Rita's Water Ice store in northern Philly— the grate was rolled down after hours to prevent crime. Wynter was there with her mother at around 4:30 p.m. when tragedy struck.
"It took about 20 to 30 men to get that awning off of the baby," Tracey Stanford, an eyewitness, told KYW-TV. "When they finally got it up off of her, she was just lying there, lifeless."
The members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. had been throwing a fundraiser at the venue alongside another sorority, and when Larkin was crushed, they removed the awning and performed CPR. The girl was then transported to Hahnemann University Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The owners of the store never reported any problems with the metal grate or any other violations, officials said.
"Our hearts and prayers go out to the child's family," Linda Duke, a spokeswoman for Rita's Italian Ice, the shop's parent company, said in a statement. "Due to the current investigation we really cannot comment about the unfortunate incident."
