The fear of escalators is more common than you might think. For adults it can be embarrassing and inconvenient, and it some cases it can make certain activities impossible. While most escalator rides end safely, escalator accidents are very real, and often the result of a poorly maintained or defective escalator. Finger and toe amputations are common escalator injuries. There are no federal safety regulations for escalators.
Why We Fear Escalators
Fear of going down the escalator is much more common than fear of going up. Fear of heights and fear of falling are often behind the fear of going down an escalator. Escalator platforms are notoriously difficult to navigate.
The fear of escalators in general is often attributed to horror stories of people getting swallowed up by the contraptions. If your mother coaxed you onto escalators as a child by convincing you that this was just an urban legend, she was wrong. Hands and feet can and do get sucked into escalators, causing serious injuries.
In August, 2013, a 10-year-old girl’s foot got swallowed up by an escalator in New Jersey. At Macy’s, of all places. The escalator was over 50 years old. The girl had to have multiple surgeries and lost two toes. That wasn’t a first for the chain. In 2009, a girl lost her toe in an escalator accident which occurred in another New Jersey Macy’s. Her toe was torn off in the accident, and never found.
What if it Happens to You?
Two weeks after the 2013 accident, a settlement was reached in the 2009 case, with both Macy’s and the company contracted to oversee the escalator admitting liability. The girl was injured while wearing Crocs, which have reportedly been involved in many of these incidents, and the family was able to reach a settlement with the shoe company as well.
If you or your child has been injured in an escalator accident, you may be entitled to substantial compensation. These are very traumatic accidents which can result in permanent injuries, and are sometimes fatal. In order to receive the full and fair compensation you deserve, you need to work with highly credentialed accident attorneys who have experience handling premises liability and product liability cases, all the way through trial.
