Man moving mattress falls to his death after railing unbolts

EAST POINT, Ga. — A south Fulton County man fell to his death after the railing at his apartment complex gave out while he was moving a mattress.

Officials say the Felipe Rivas, 73, was carrying it up the stairs at the Kings Point Apartments on Batavia Street on May 22 when he leaned back on the railing and it unbolted. Rivas fell to the concrete below. He survived for three days after the fall before he died.

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His longtime friend, Rosa Cox, wiped away tears as she spoke about Rivas. She says the two were neighbors for years and remained close after she moved a few blocks away, but because she is not family she was unable to see her friend in the hospital before he died.

“He's my friend. I've been praying for him. I couldn't even see him. I argued with the nurse,” she said.

She says she wishes she could go back nine days and help her friend.

“I think he should have called me to get the mattress and I think he should have asked someone to help him. Everybody will help old people,” she said.

Neighbors told Channel 2’s Liz Artz the railings in the complex aren’t safe. Our Channel 2 photographer was able to get video of the rusted metal and the area where police say the same rusted railing that led to the deadly fall had been reattached.

Artz made several attempts to reach the property owner by phone and at his business address, but was unsuccessful.

Code enforcement cited the owner for unsafe structure.

Meanwhile, Rivas’ body is still sitting in the morgue unclaimed as police work to track down his family members, who live in Cuba. Cox says he has a brother and two nieces. She says she knows there are letters in Rivas’ apartment with family contact information, but the building’s owner won’t let her in.

Police say they’ll get a warrant if that’s what it takes to get inside his apartment.

Cox Media Group