13-year-old Olvin Cabrera Valladares was supposed to go to school. Instead, he rode his scooter to a park in Miami. A few hours later, he was found trapped inside a slide – and one week later, he was pronounced dead.
Olvin Cabrera Valladares left home to go to school on the morning of September 25. According to his mother, Estefanía Valladares, her son always used to say goodbye with a hug and a kiss. That morning was no exception.
“He would always say goodbye with a kiss and a hug,” she told Univision. “He’d tell me, ‘I love you, Fanía,’ and give me a kiss right here on the cheek.”
But Olvin never made it to school. Instead, he rode his scooter to Shenandoah Park. Later that day, a man visited the park with his children, and discovered the 13-year-old trapped inside the slide, reports People.
Olvin got his shirt caught
According to Olvin’s mother, his T-shirt had gotten caught on a screw inside the slide. The man tried to pull him out and eventually succeeded.
“He told me he pulled on him, but he was caught on a screw,” Valladares told Local 10 News. “He pulled again, and my son fell out. His arm was inside of his shirt, and his collar was tight around his neck.”
The man immediately stared giving CPR while paramedics were called to the scene. Olvin was then taken to the hospital, where doctors attempted to save his life. The family held out hope for a miracle until the very end.
But on October 1, six days after the accident, the family announced that Olvin had been declared brain dead.
“He was my baby, my youngest, just 13 years old. He had his whole life ahead of him,” Valladares told Local 10 News. “He just wanted to play, and sadly, it was playing that took his life… As a mother, it’s very hard to lose a son.”
The park equipment is to be inspected
One day after the accident, the city of Miami closed the park for an investigation. However, it reopened the very next day, and the slide was used again.
Following Olvin’s tragic death, Miami politician Rolando Escalona has called for an investigation and requested that the city’s playground equipment be inspected.
Olvin’s mother also wants to urge other parents to be extra careful when their children play on playgrounds.
“Look at the tragedy that happened to my son,” she has said.
The family has also started a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help cover the costs of Olvin’s funeral.
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