More than 10,000 people are rushed to the emergency room every year because of an accident involving an escalator, according to CBS News. These moving staircases are prevalent in almost every mall in the country, and yet sometimes they can come with devastating results. In the past, people have snapped fingers and toes when riding up an escalator, or tumbled backwards only to receive a serious head injury on the sharp stairs. Whether you are in a subway, a shopping mall, a parking structure, or anywhere were an escalator has been placed, you are at risk to these injuries. Oftentimes the escalator will have a small sticker at its base that warns people to avoid riding without holding on to the handrail. However, some people don’t adhere to this rule and end up getting hurt.
Earlier this month, a man from Montgomery, Alabama was riding an escalator in the Montgomery Mall when he toppled backwards. Because the stairs are hard, with small prongs, which help the stairs to connect, they can create serious head injuries. The 50-year-old man was knocked unconscious and flow to the hospital in a helicopter because of his condition. That same day, another little boy was rushed to the hospital when he fell from an escalator at a local Wal-Mart. The 9-year-old was climbing up the escalator railing but then toppled to the floor below. He was unconscious and blood was pooling in his mouth when his parents found him. The mall authorities say that the child should not have been dangling by the escalator in the first place, but that the situation was still avoidable. Children are more prone to be injured on an escalator because they have little fingers and toes, which can wedge in where the stairs connect. If you or your loved one was hurt in this manner, then talk to a personal injury attorney for more information.