CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A family is suing the airport and the city of Charlotte after a three-year-old boy fell from an escalator and died last year.
Jaiden Cowart and his sister were playing near the baggage claim area at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Sept. 25 when they grabbed onto the escalator’s handrail, rode up the side and fell.
Court documents said the boy’s sister lost her grip and fell first. A contractor stepped in and caught her, but could not reach Jaiden in time, according to a report from the airport.
Warrants said Jaiden held on all the way to the top, where the motion forced him to lose his grip.
The airport later released video showing the moments before and after the fall. One angle shows Cowart and his sister playing by the escalator alone for several minutes. Police told Channel 9 that the children’s mother Jiterria Lightner did not check on her kids for about an hour while they played.
She said she was trying to take care of three small children and arrange a ride from the airport. Lightner has been charged with misdemeanor child abuse.
The lawsuit, which also names the company that operates the escalator, claims there should have been a barrier around the bottom of the escalator so that children couldn’t access it.
Channel 9 asked the city’s attorney for a response to the lawsuit and whether there is now a barrier. We have not heard back.
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