Charlotte toddler dies after being injured in fall at airport, officials say
State officials and police are investigating after a 3-year-old Charlotte boy died from injuries involving an escalator at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
The toddler, Jaiden Samir Cowart, was injured in a fall at the airport on Sept. 25, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. The child was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said.
Cowart was taken to Atrium Health’s Levine’s Children’s Hospital and was pronounced dead on Saturday, the Medical Examiner’s Office told the Observer.
Cowart’s fall was near an airport escalator, according to the office. Additional details on victim or the nature of the accident were not immediately available.
Lynette Stone, a lawyer representing Cowart’s mother, confirmed the family lives in Charlotte. Stone would not comment further on Cowart’s death.
CMPD’s Homicide Unit is reviewing the case, which is common procedure for public accidents, police spokesman Blake Page said.
The N.C. Department of Labor is also investigating the case. The department’s Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau inspects escalators once a year, and was notified of the death, department spokeswoman Natalie Bouchard told the Observer.
“Our thoughts are with the family during this very difficult time,” the Charlotte Douglas International Airport said in a statement. “We are extremely grateful for the quick response of our emergency crews and law enforcement officers and for the medical assistance and care they provided.”
The airport did not release additional details about the death.
The 3-year-old’s death is the second death reported at the airport in the last few months.
In August, a Piedmont Airlines worker, 24-year-old Kendrick Darrell Hudson, was killed when a baggage transport vehicle overturned on him. Hudson’s death is also under an ongoing investigation by the N.C. Department of Labor.
This story was originally published October 4, 2019 at 10:07 AM.
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