He had a hug for everyone, and 5-year-old Charles Woody Holt had a sweet disposition to accompany his natural curiosity, his family said Tuesday.
Charlie, who lived in Charlotte, N.C., died Friday after getting stuck between a wall and a table at Atlanta's Sun Dial restaurant, atop the Westin Peachtree Plaza. His parents and others in the restaurant were able to free him, but Charlie died from head injuries after being taken by ambulance to Grady Memorial Hospital.
On Tuesday, his parents released a written statement through a family friend:
“Charlie Holt was the sweetest, most accepting, and lovable child who had a hug for everyone. He never met a person or an animal whom he did not immediately love. Everyone was his friend. His thirst for knowledge and adventure was infectious. Everyone so loved sweet little Charlie. In lieu of flowers and to honor him, the Charlie Holt Memorial Fund has been established to preserve his memory and to allow children to fulfill the dreams that Charlie himself was unable to experience.”
Contributions may be mailed to The Charlie Holt Memorial Fund, Towne Bank, 5806 Harbourview Blvd., Suite 201, Suffolk, VA 23435.
Charlie and his parents were having a late lunch Friday at window seat at the Sun Dial when the boy wandered across the aisle to another table and a rounded bench backed up against an inner wall, according to investigators. Somehow, the boy got his head stuck between the furniture and the wall, and was stuck several minutes before he was freed and fell into his father's arms. Charlie died from his injuries.
The boy’s death is believed to be the first accident of its kind at the restaurant, which opened in 1976. The restaurant was immediately closed and has not yet re-opened.
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