Lawsuits filed after 2 kids killed in separate garage gate accidents

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A tragic garage door accident that killed a young boy left his Tennessee family heartbroken. A year later, a different family in Florida experienced the same accident.

Now they're filing a lawsuit to make sure it will never happen again.

In the summer of 2020, Dedrick Holt was playing with his cousins on a garage gate near a playground in Tennessee. He was rolled up in it and later died from his injuries.

"He was a great kid, always laughing, always smiling," said Dedrick's aunt, Charkia Summers.

Then a year later, Summers learned the same thing happened in Orlando, Florida. A six-year-old playing on a gate was killed.

"I hope that they have made changes, not only to the two gates that caused these two young boys their life, but if there are other gates out there," Summers.

In Florida, the family has filed a lawsuit and in Nashville, Summers' family is suing the gate installer MDHA and the metro government, to name a few.

"It could be another family in Ohio or another state that don't see this, not aware and then the same situation happens," Summers said.

Summers and her sister are seeking millions in damages.

The lawsuit said the installer was negligen, and failed to follow the recommendations of the manufacturer regarding the height of the garage door switch. In addition, it said the installer, Crawford Door Sales of Nashville, failed to inspect the gate.

"It's just frustrating, and we have reached out and made complaints and shared our concerns," Summers said.

Now, there's a sign at the complex that says, "No unattended children in garage."

"The building is filled with kids. The park is right there by that gate. I have heard that there were some changes made but that gate is still there and in my opinion, it's still unsafe to be, they're in a building full of kids," Summers said.

The defendants named in the lawsuit said they cannot comment because of the pending litigation.