Did Mike Tyson Ever Get Justice After His Daughter’s Tragic Accident?

Even today, Mike Tyson is a boxing icon who’s made it clear that he’s capable of reinventing himself. Even at his age, he’s managed to become a social media star, with 15.1 million followers on Instagram and counting. Recently, Tyson also staged a comeback fight and was supposed to have another one just a few months ago (amidst fans’ concerns about his health).

Moreover, what makes Tyson incredible is that he’s had to overcome a lot over the years (he did a stint in prison and suffered from addiction). In fact, he even suffered a tragedy that is too painful for any parent to bear. And even today, some 12 years later, fans can’t help but wonder if the boxing legend ever got justice following his daughter’s tragedy.

He Lost His Daughter In A Bizarre Accident

Today in History. Mike Tyson’s 4yr old daughter Exodus breathed her last on 27th May 2009 after a tragic accident in which her neck got caught in a treadmill cord. Its alleged she slipped while playing She was put on life support but never regained her consciousness. RIP Exodus pic.twitter.com/4cyMIsdDgW— Aupal Emmanuel 🇺🇬 (@AupalEmmanuel) May 27, 2020

In 2009, Tyson’s young daughter, Exodus, was found unresponsive while staying at her mother’s, Sol Xochitl, home in Phoenix. Exodus’ older brother, Miguel, had found his little sister tangled up in the treadmill’s power cord. “Somehow, she was playing on this treadmill, and there’s a cord that hangs under the console; it’s kind of a loop,” police Sgt. Andy Hill later explained. “Either she slipped or put her head in the loop, but it acted like a noose, and she was obviously unable to get herself off of it.”

Following the discovery, Xochitl freed her daughter from the cord and attempted CPR. She also made a frantic call to 911. The tapes reveal the mother telling the emergency dispatcher, “My baby! She’s choked!” She also reportedly thought that her daughter had been electrocuted at first. When first responders arrived at the scene, Exodus remained unresponsive. Exodus was rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center (Tyson was spotted arriving at the hospital after flying in from Las Vegas) and put on life support. She was pronounced dead just before noon.

Following Exodus’ death, Tyson sent out a message to fans on behalf of his grieving family. “The Tyson family would like to extend our deepest and most heartfelt thanks for all your prayers and support, and we ask that we be allowed our privacy at this difficult time,” the statement read. “There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Exodus.” The family laid Exodus to rest in a private ceremony.

Mike Tyson Wanted ‘No Anger’ Following Daughter’s Death

Following his daughter’s death, Tyson knew he had to do right by Exodus one final time. “From all my experience in rehab, I took responsibility,” he explained while on the Oprah Winfrey Show. “She had to be buried, she had to be taken care of.” The boxing legend also admitted that he declined to learn further details surrounding his little girl’s death. “There was no animosity. There was no anger towards anybody,” he recalled. “I don’t know how she died and I don’t want to know.” At the same time, Tyson also explained that he chose not to point fingers at anyone after what happened. “If I know, then there might be a blame for it,” he told Winfrey. “If somebody’s to blame for it, there will be a problem.”

At the same time, Tyson also said that being surrounded by other parents in the hospital at that time made him realize that having an outburst just wouldn’t be right. “Once I got [to the hospital] and saw other people there with either children who already died or were dying, they were handling it with dignity and I didn’t want to be the psycho parent up there,” he recalled while speaking with Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show. “I wanted to handle it with dignity, as well.”

Similar Tragedies Have Occurred Over The Years

Sadly, similar fatal accidents involving the treadmill have occurred over the years. Most recently, a six-year-old child had died after being pulled underneath the rear of a Peloton treadmill. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) also said that it is aware of “multiple reports of children becoming entrapped, pinned, and pulled under the rear roller of the product.” In at least one case, an incident occurred while a parent was using the treadmill.

Following the child’s death, Peloton instituted a recall on its Tread+ model. Aside from offering owners to move their unit to a room that is inaccessible to children free of charge, the company also said it would implement passcode lock on its machine to prevent unauthorized access. That said, the company also released a statement that their Tread+ treadmill is still “safe for Members to use in their homes and comes with safety instructions and warnings to ensure its safe use.” It added, “Peloton warns Members not to let children use the Tread+ and to keep children, pets, and objects away from the Tread+ at all times.” Peloton CEO John Foley later released a statement saying, “I want to be clear, Peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s request that we recall the Tread+. We should have engaged more productively with them from the outset.”

According to a 2004 study, as many as 8,700 injuries involving home exercise equipment occur in children in the United States each year.