Miami closes all enclosed slides at major parks after a teen accidentally strangles himself
Por Owen Scott — – World RSS Feed
Miami closes all enclosed slides at major parks after a teen accidentally strangles himself
‘We want to make sure that all the enclosed slides are completely safe,’ a city official said
Owen Scott Saturday 10 October 2026 13:27 BST
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All enclosed slides in four major Miami parks have been closed after the accidental death of a 13-year-old boy late last month.
Olvin Daniel Cabrera Valladares, 13, was meant to be at school on September 25 but instead traveled to Shenandoah Park in the Coral Way neighborhood. While playing on an enclosed slide at the park, his shirt became caught on a loose screw, trapping him, choking him and causing him to lose consciousness.
Olvin was later declared brain dead on October 1, his sister, Stephany, wrote in a GoFundMe campaign.
Now, District 3 Commissioner Rolando Escalona has confirmed to CBS News Miami that all of the city’s enclosed slides will close.
“I instructed the administration to close all the enclosed slides that we have in the City of Miami,” he said. “We want to make sure that all the enclosed slides are completely safe.”
open image in galleryThe slides are located in Children’s Park, Southside Park and Fern Isle Park, as well as Shenandoah Park. All other play equipment will remain open.
Meanwhile, a Change.org petition calling for the slide at Shenandoah Park to be replaced with a splash pad has continued to gain support. Families have previously reported “falls, broken bones and burns” at the site.
Speaking to Local 10, Olvin’s mother, Estefanía Valladares, shed more light on the incident involving her son. She revealed that a man visiting the park with his own children found Olvin inside the enclosed slide.
“He told me he pulled on him, but he was caught on a screw,” Valladares said. “He pulled again, and my son fell out. His arm was inside of his shirt, and his collar was tight around his neck.”
Valladares says that the medics tried to treat Olvin at the scene before rushing him to the hospital, where he was eventually declared brain dead.
“He was my baby, my youngest, just 13 years old,” Valladares told Local 10. “He had his whole life ahead of him. He just wanted to play and, sadly, it was playing that took his life.”
open image in galleryThe mom went on to tell the outlet that she had a warning for fellow parents.
“Be careful taking your children to these parks,” she said. “Look at the tragedy that happened to my son.”
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis told CBS News Miami that she has asked the county to inspect all of Miami’s slides following Olvin’s death.
“I’ve instructed the County Mayor and our Parks Department to do an immediate inspection of all our slides, our tube slides, and if there’s anything that comes up during that search to close any slide that has an issue until further notice,” she said.
A spokesperson for the city confirmed to Local 10 that an investigation is currently underway.
“This matter is under active investigation, and the City is working diligently to gather all the facts and bring closure to the family,” the spokesperson said. “To protect the integrity of that process, we are unable to comment further at this time.”
The Independent has contacted the City of Miami and the Miami-Dade County Mayor’s Office for comment.
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