A 2-year-old boy died after a 6-foot tall metal dolphin statue fell on him in San Francisco, police said Monday.
Kayson Shelton, a Utah native, was visiting San Francisco with his family. He was playing around the statue on the sidewalk in front of a shop in Fisherman's Wharf district, Friday. The structure came tumbling down upon him.
"He wanted to go up and touch it - and he stepped with a foot on the base of it and the statue came down on top of him," Scott, Kayson's father Scott told NBC Bay Area. He said that Kayson's nose bled and the family thought he would be fine. However, he passed out after a while and they called an ambulance.
"Almost immediately, the boy had some complications and he was transported to San Francisco General Hospital," Gordon Shyy, spokesman of San Francisco police said, reports Reuters.
Rachael Kagan, a hospital spokeswoman, said that Kayson was admitted with a traumatic injury and was in a critical condition. Kayson later succumbed to internal injuries and died that afternoon.
According to Shyy, the shop violated a city code and was cited for placing an object or merchandise on a path where it hinders pedestrian traffic. The weight of the statue remained unknown, reports the Associated Press.
"Last summer, San Francisco was the host city for the America's Cup, and this specific business was warned about their dolphin being outside the blue line. This business was warned this was a problem and a violation of that code," Shyy said.
