Headline News By Peter Tremblay 581 Views

Tim Hortons USA: Family of child who died after falling in grease trap prepares to sue Rochester

The family of 3-year-old Bryce Raynor who drowned in a grease trap at the University Avenue Tim Hortons in July filed the first paperwork of a lawsuit against the City of Rochester and Monroe County. The family recently filed notices of claim with the city of Rochester and Monroe County. This is a four-page notice which is a legally mandated prerequisite to a lawsuit, which gives the city and county notice that a formal lawsuit may be brought against them.

On July 15, 2019, Tenitia Cullum had taken her 3-year-old son, Bryce Raynor, to work with her at the Tim Hortons on University Avenue.

The energetic little boy had run outside with Cullum while she was bringing out the trash and had fallen into the restaurant's grease trap.

Callum says she had turned around just for a moment, and when she looked back, Bryce was gone.

It took more than ten minutes before anyone could figure out how Bryce disappeared. The little boy was pulled out and rushed to the hospital, but died as a result of his injuries.

Rochester Police have said the grease trap was not properly secured - something unacceptable to the grieving mom.

Since then, Callum has worked to support the county’s efforts to ensure that regulations were put in place to avoid similar accidents in the future.

“This could have been prevented a long time ago," she said. "All we can do now is move forward and set these regulations, so to speak.”

Since the incident, the county had been working on laws to regulate the safety and security of grease trap covers. If approved, the new laws would require yearly inspections. As a precaution, a team of inspectors have already started checking the traps at local establishments, says a report of WHAM.

“I honestly feel like this should have already been done," Cullum said, quoted on WHEC. "But I am satisfied with what they’re doing now - moving forward to prevent this from happening to anyone else or anyone else’s child. I’m happy with this. It’s a step.”

Police reports from the Rochester Police Department said the lid to the trap was not locked. And that the lid that was there at the time of Raynor's death is designed to be used on a septic system.

According to the report, CCTV footage showed the little boy “walking back towards his mother" who was throwing out garbage behind the restaurant.  "The green cover of the grease trap... is seen flipping open as (Raynor) walks past it or over it," the report says. After the little boy falls in the grease trap, "the lid appears to fall back into place."

The boy’s mother is said to have turned around "4 seconds" after he fell in.

Police say that two other children have died in grease traps in the country.

The city and county when contacted for their comments both responded by saying that they don't comment when they're getting sued or facing a lawsuit.



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