Boy dies after getting stuck in automatic gate
North Las Vegas police said an 8-year-old boy died Tuesday night after his head got stuck in an automatic gate.
The incident occurred at the exit gate of the Village at Craig Ranch community, in the area of Goldfield Street and Newburg Avenue, at about 5:30 p.m., North Las Vegas police spokeswoman Chrissie Coon said.
North Las Vegas police detectives were still conducting the investigation into the child’s death at 8 p.m., but police said the boy was trying to squeeze through a gap in the large metal gates, when the gate was activated by another child on a bicycle, Coon said.
Neighbors were able to pull the boy out of the gate before the ambulance arrived, but the boy later died at University Medical Center. His identity will be released by the Clark County coroner’s office.
A number of children witnessed the incident and had to speak with detectives, Coon said.
A volunteer with the Trauma Intervention Program of Southern Nevada, Inc. went to the hospital to counsel the boy’s family, the nonprofit said.
Coon said the event was a tragedy for the community, and emphasized the safety takeaway: “Gates can be very dangerous,” she said. “Children should never play on or near them.”
Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Find him on Twitter: @WesJuhl.
