Update: Apartment complex accident kills man, child

Update: A second victim of the Hartford On the Lake Apartments accident involving a vehicle driving into a pond has died.

Eleven-year-old Leta Galagalo, who was rushed to Nationwide Children’s Hospital following the accident, was pronounced dead Monday afternoon.

07/08/2019: A neighborhood is calling for change after an apartment complex accident killed one man and put several minors in extreme peril.

Chaltu Guyo, 39, from Columbus, was attempting to park his 2008 Toyota Highlander at the Hartford On the Lake Apartments at 4505 Lakeside St. N Saturday afternoon when he lost control.

With no barrier to stop the vehicle, it plummeted into the lake below with Guyo, Dereje Kume, 55; Milkessa Kebede, 9; Kananissa Kebede, 7; and Leta Galagalo, 11 all inside.

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Neighbors quickly sprang into action and pulled two children from the water before rescue crews arrived. Firefighters then pulled the rest of the family to shore.

According to ABC6, Kume was trapped in the submerged car for at least 20 minutes before being brought to the surface. He was taken to Mount Carmel East where he died Sunday morning. The 11-year-old was transported to Nationwide Children’s Hospital where he remains in critical condition.

Now, the people who helped rescue the family are calling for fences or gates so that accidents like this can be avoided in the future.

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