Brick Falls From La Puente Home, Hits And Kills Toddler
LA PUENTE (CBSLA.com) — A 1-year-old boy is dead after a brick from a San Gabriel Valley home fell and fatally struck him, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported.
The accident happened around 3 p.m. Tuesday at a home in the 200 block of Zenith Avenue, the Tribune said.
"Joe Alexander Sotelo was playing with his 4-year-old sister, Daisy, beneath a brick arch in the backyard when numerous bricks fell and one struck the toddler in the head," the paper said.
The young boy died around 3:45 p.m. at a local hospital, the coroner confirmed.
Brittney Hopper, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, spoke to the boy's grieving father, Joel. "I feel terrible right now. I just wish that he would come back with us."
He adds, "I received a phone call from my wife telling me that my kid was dying. I couldn't believe it."
He told Hopper that LA County Public Works visited the home several months ago and told them to remove the attachment from the arch. "But they never told us to take down the arch."
LA County Public Works says they are still in the fact-gathering stage but says the homeowner received two notices of violation regarding the unsafe structure.
Says Bob Spencer of LA County Public Works, "We're very upset by it as is all of our employees. We hate for this to happen. Obviously. So our heart and feelings go out to the family right now."
