Category Archives: Escalators

Bankstown, Sydney, Australia – Toddler loses three fingers to shopping center escalator

According to numerous Australian news sources, a three-year old boy fell on an escalator at Bankstown Shopping Centre, causing him to lose three fingers when they apparently became jammed in the escalator’s moving parts. Although circumstances around the injury remain unclear, the description provided by the Sydney Morning Herald suggest that the young boy’s fingers were perhaps caught between the steps as the steps collapsed together at the destination landing. Another possibility is that the toddler fell as he approached the destination landing, and perhaps fell in such a way that his fingers were entrapped by a missing or damaged comb plate. Continue reading →

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Bellevue, WA – Bellevue Square Macy’s escalator rips itself apart, injuring 4

According to the Seattle Times, “Four people fell when an escalator inside Bellevue Square shopping center malfunctioned tonight, according to the Bellevue Fire Department. A man, woman and two 3-year-olds were taken to local hospitals after the 7:21 p.m. malfunction at Macy’s. The man sustained minor injuries while the three others were taken as a precaution, said Bellevue Fire spokesman Troy Donlin.” According to Q13 FOX News, the state inspectors have been notified about the incident. The cause of the incident remains unclear at this time. Continue reading →

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Atlantic City, NJ – Englishman hung 40 feet in the air after clothing caught by Revel escalator

According to the Press of Atlantic City, an Englishman allegedly dangled 40 feet in the air after his clothing became caught in an escalator at the Revel Resort and Hotel on August 24, 2012. A lawsuit seeking $75,000 in damages alleges that the victim, Mr. Christopher Eades, who was a guest at the time of the incident, was standing near the escalator on the second floor when part of his clothing became caught in the ascending handrail. The lawsuit goes on to say the victim “was suddenly and precipitously pulled over the railing of the area in which he was then and there standing.” Bystanders eventually rescued the victim, who was then treated for a fractured left leg and knee, in addition to other minor injuries. Continue reading →

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Bellevue, WA – 24 year old man dies after three story fall from shopping mall escalator

According to Bellevue Patch, a 24-year-old man died after falling three stories at Lincoln Square shopping center in Bellevue, Washington. A police spokeswoman stated that the man, identified as Joel Bush, attempted to ride the escalator by sitting and balancing on the handrail. The man apparently lost his balance and fell backward into the atrium, falling sixty feet. According to police, alcohol was initially suspected to be a factor but ultimately did not appear to contribute to the man’s death. Continue reading →

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Edinburgh, Scotland – 65 year old grandmother injured after escalator suddenly stops

According to the Daily Record, “Violet Roberts suffered two broken wrists, a gash to her right leg and a spinal fracture” after “a woman apparently pressed the stop button on the moving stairs on December 10, 2009.” Interestingly, the woman that was accused of pressing the emergency stop button was charged but acquitted after Ms. Roberts failed to identify the alleged perpetrator, despite the fact that the entire incident was apparently caught on CCTV camera, and despite that the alleged perpetrator’s own mother identified her daughter in the video. According to the article, Ms. Roberts “still suffers pain and discomfort every day as a result of the incident at the city’s Waverley Station three years ago.” Continue reading →

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Shiodome, Tokyo, Japan – 45 year-old man suffers fatal fall after leaning against escalator handrail

Satoshi Katayama was killed in April 2009 after he leaned backwards against an escalator handrail which then lifted him off his feet and over the the handrail, dropping him to his death into an open atrium nearly 30 feet high. Surveillance video of the incident depicts the victim briefly leaning against the handrail before being carried over the balustrade and falling to his death. Continue reading →

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