Westin: Freezer exit device ‘worked perfectly’ when woman died

RAW VIDEO: Kitchen worker found dead in freezer at Atlanta’s Westin Peachtree. Video by John Spink/AJC

The freezer where an East Point woman was found dead Tuesday had a fully functional exit device, a spokeswoman for the hotel said.

Carolyn Robinson, 61, was a kitchen worker at the Westin Peachtree Plaza, when she somehow got locked in a walk-in freezer just after 8 p.m. Monday. She had worked for the company for more than 35 years, hotel spokeswoman Sally McDonald said Thursday in a statement.

“We continue to focus on providing support for her family and for our associates,” McDonald said.

Between Tuesday and Wednesday, the Atlanta Medical Examiner, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and an independent manufacturer representative conducted more than 30 functional tests over five separate testing occasions on the exit device on the inside of the freezer door in question.

In every test the exit device and door worked properly and were fully operational, McDonald said. There were no defects.

“The door handle on the freezer worked perfectly,” Atlanta Equipment Services, which is the Manufacturer’s Authorized Service Company, said. “Inside the freezer, the push button handle allowed access out of the freezer with ease.”

A final determination by the medical examiner will be necessary to fully understand what happened to Robinson, McDonald said.