A young relative of mine had his left foot caught in an escalator last Saturday. He’s only three but had to endure excruciating pain for an entire 40 minutes before paramedics managed to release his foot. This happened at Centerpoint in Bandar Utama as his mother held his hand, ascending the escalator. His tiny foot had stood too close to the back of the escalator wall, that it was pulled ankle-first into and crushed in between the horizontal and diagonal surface of the mechanics. He was rushed in an ambulance to the Damansara Specialist Hospital where doctors performed surgery to stitch skin and flesh, and align his foot back into place. Three bones had been broken. Young and feisty Abdullah was lucky no tendon was damaged. Doctors say he will walk again in three to four weeks. What could have caused the accident and what could have prevented it? Do we ban young children on escalators or do we review the shoe model to see if the fabric had indeed caused the accident to happen? Hundreds of cases of have been reported in the US and Japan about young children experiencing escalator mishaps. And they all had one thing in common: they were wearing the same shoe brand. Reason to question style and brand name over safety and regulations? It’s about time.
Danger On The Escalator
A young relative of mine had his left foot caught in an escalator last Saturday. He’s only three but had to endure excruciating pain for an entire 40 minutes before paramedics managed to release his foot. This happened at Centerpoint in Bandar Utama as his mother held his hand, ascending the escalator. His tiny foot had stood too close to the back of the escalator wall, that it was pulled ankle-first into and crushed in between the horizontal and diagonal surface of the mechanics. He was rushed in an ambulance to the Damansara Specialist Hospital where doctors performed surgery to stitch skin and flesh, and align his foot back into place. Three bones had been broken. Young and feisty Abdullah was lucky no tendon was damaged. Doctors say he will walk again in three to four weeks. What could have caused the accident and what could have prevented it? Do we ban young children on escalators or do we review the shoe model to see if the fabric had indeed caused the accident to happen? Hundreds of cases of have been reported in the US and Japan about young children experiencing escalator mishaps. And they all had one thing in common: they were wearing the same shoe brand. Reason to question style and brand name over safety and regulations? It’s about time.
