3-year-old boy gets caught in airport escalator and falls to his death in North Carolina; mother charged with child abuse
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA: A North Carolina woman has been charged with child abuse two months after her young son got caught in the escalator at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport and fell to his death.
The unfortunate tragedy unfolded when three-year-old Jaiden Cowart was with his 25-year-old mother Jiterria Ravon Lightner of Charlotte, and his two siblings at the airport on September 25, having just arrived back after a trip from Florida, according to WSOC-TV.
As Lightner was trying to pick up the family's luggage with her three children in tow, Jaiden, who was standing just a few feet away leaning up against the glass part of an escalator, somehow got caught in the handrail.
He was pulled up the escalator and fell in a stairway near the baggage claim area. He was rushed to Atrium Health, where he could not be saved despite the best efforts of doctors and declared dead.
This past week, on Tuesday, November 19, police issued warrants on Lightner for misdemeanor child abuse. She turned herself in to the police two days later and is expected to face a judge on November 22.
Her lawyer, Michael Greene, said he and his client plan to fight the charges all the way, adding that she's now almost reliving the tragedy and that it could have happened to anyone. "We went from saying this is an accident, now saying that you've committed a crime," he said.
He said he thinks the police were charging her now because they believe she was not supervising her children properly. "She was caring for a 4, 3 and a 2-year-old and trying to arrange a ride from the airport," he explained. "I'm here saying she's not guilty of misdemeanor child abuse."
"This is one of those incidents that could've happened to any one of the members of this community, and, unfortunately, the decision came down to charge her with a crime," he continued. "And I'll be here to walk her through the process."
A GoFundMe page set up to raise donations to cover the cost of Jaiden's funeral described the young boy "as an energetic, loving and playful 3-year-old" whose favorite cartoons were 'Peppa Pig,' 'Paw Patrol,' and 'PJ Masks'. It has raised $6,270 of a possible $13,000 goal at the time of writing.