Miami has shuttered enclosed slides at every playpark following the death of a 13-year-old boy. Olvin Cabera became trapped on September 25 while going down an enclosed slide. His shirt got caught on a screw protruding from the slide, and Cabera got stuck and eventually lost consciousness; his family shared in a GoFundMe set up for him.
Cabera was found by a man in the park who managed to free him and began administering first aid until paramedics arrived. "Our family held on to hope and prayed for a miracle.” He was declared brain dead six days after the incident. The family has set up a GoFundMe to help raise funds for Cabera’s funeral, which has raised over $18,000 of a $22,000 goal.
Newsweek has contacted the City of Miami via email for comment outside regular working hours. The incident occurred at Shenandoah Park, and the slide at the center of the investigation has now been boarded up. Miami City Commissioner Rolando Escalona called for all enclosed slides to be closed until they have undergone safety reviews.
Escalona said in a statement shared to social media: “Our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time.” “While this incident remains under investigation, we have asked the City administration to conduct a thorough review of the incident,” he said. The exact circumstances around Cabera’s death remain under investigation. Cabera’s mother, Estefania Balladares, told CBS News: “A screw got caught on his shirt.
I think once he realized it, he tried to remove it, but the shirt must have choked him.” Balladares told the outlet that her son was found in the slide hours after the incident when a man brought his children to the park. She urged city officials to review the playground equipment. City officials have not confirmed Balladares' account.
Local residents have set up a petition on Change.org calling on the City of Miami to replace the slide with a safe and sustainable splash pad and water play area.
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