5-Year-Old Child Dies After 300-Pound Stone Monument Falls On Her While Playing

A 5-year-old Georgia girl died Monday after a 300-pound stone monument fell on her while she was playing with her sister.

The victim, identified as Bella Bennett, was at Lee Street Resource Center in Blackshear when the tragic incident took place. Bella's 8-year-old sister was playing Sunday night on the monument and when she jumped off it, the stone structure fell on the 5-year-old. The girl, who had just started kindergarten at Blackshear Elementary, was rushed to a hospital and later airlifted to Wolfson Children’s Hospital. On Monday morning, the girl was declared dead.

“It was on top of the little girl. It was covering half of her body, her head, her shoulders. She was pinned in, and her dad couldn’t get her out,” an eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told WVLT TV. “I tried to lift it up, so he could pull her out. We weren’t successful.”

After the monument fell on the girl, her older sister began yelling and calling for help. According to reports, three people had to move the slab off the victim. Photos from the incident showed only one bolt in the downed monument, News 4 Jax reported.

Priests and community members gathered at the site Monday afternoon to pay their respects to the deceased girl

“This community needs you, oh Lord,” one of the mourners prayed. “We need you, Lord, like we’ve never needed you before.”

Mandy Williams, assistant principal at Blackshear Elementary, remembered the girl saying she used to love playing with her older sister.

“We just love her. Her teachers are devastated. Our principal is just devastated. It’s just hard to comprehend right now,” Williams, who had known Bella since she started preschool, told local media. “Pray for their family. Right now, that’s what they need the most is your prayers.”

The two sisters lived with their grandmother about a block away from the resource center where the incident happened, according to the police. Authorities have launched an investigation into the death of the child. However, it remains unclear if charges will be placed against anyone. The older sister was unharmed in the incident.