Family sues hotel after five-year-old boy was crushed to death by rotating restaurant

The family of a little boy who died when he was crushed to death in a rotating restaurant's "pinch point" are suing the hotel for negligence.

Five-year-old Charlie Holt died from a head injury in the Sun Dial rotating restaurant in the US state of Georgia on April 14.

In the lawsuit Charlie’s parents, Rebecca and Michael Holt, allege the mechanised establishment failed to prevent a “longstanding safety hazard” that led to the child’s death, The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

Their suit also disputes claims the young boy wandered away from his family.

It was reported Charlie's head was fatally crushed when he became wedged between a fixed piece of furniture and a staircase wall.

The family allege the restaurant “had no protections to stop children from getting close to the pinch point” or to stop the floor rotation “if a child became trapped”.

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The family's lawyer, Joe Fried, said Charlie “was only a few steps ahead” of his parents when they were heading to the exit of the restaurant after paying their bill.

Fried claims the family were “following the same path the hostess used to take them to their table”.

He claims Charlie became trapped and had to be pulled from the “narrow pinch point” right in front of his parents. Charlie was freed but later died in hospital from his injuries.

The family will also allege there was no guard to stop people from becoming trapped and no emergency stop button on the wall.