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Original poster

Toddler injured on escalator resulting in trip to A&E

126 replies

IlanaK · 19/05/2011 21:22

i live in London so travel very regularly on the tube with my three boys, the youngest is 2 (3 at the end of July). I don't use a pushchair for him as he started walking everywhere about 6 months ago. We are on the tube most days and I always hold his hand on the escalators and stand behind him in case he falls backwards (on the up ones) so I do consider that I supervise him to an adequate standard.

On Wednesday, midway up an escalator, he started screaming and twisted to face me and fell to a sitting position on the step. I looked down and could see a black line across his shoe. I picked him up and at the top of the escalator moved to some seats so I could sit him down and see what happened. He was very very distressed so wouldn't talk to me. I took off his shoe and sock and he had quite severe red marks across the knuckles of all his toes. He was crying so hard. I managed to get a few words out of him and it appeared he had put his foot in the brush that is at the side of the escalator. It obviously got stuck in a gap underneath and dragged.

I carried him up the next escalator to the barriers and told a member of staff what happened. he took us to a supervisor office and I told them and they logged my details. They offered to call an ambulance but at that point I just wanted to get him to my mother's place where we had been headed which was just outside the station. I carried him all the way there with him whimpering the whole way. I sat with him on my lap and he fell asleep within ten minutes. He does not sleep during the day. I think he was just so distressed that he needed to block it out. When he woke, he was still distressed and refused to put any weight on the foot. So I ended up taking him to A&E. They xrayed the foot and said it was not broken but he had a severe crush injury to the soft tissue and that he would limp for a while.

He has still not put his foot on the ground over 24 hours later. If you touch the foot underneath (which is very swollen) he gets very upset. If he tries to stand, he cries and buckles to the floor. I today finally examined his shoe that he was wearing at the time (it had sort of been chucked to the side and forgotten with one thing and another) and there is a deep gash that goes almost through the shoe. It is a croc shoe. So if he had been wearing sandals or less thick shoes, his toes would have been very badly cut.

My husband is furious about it all. He feels that if there is a gap that a child could get their foot stuck and crushed in, there is a design flaw in the escalators and they are not safe. He wants to contact a solicitor.

What would you do?

OP posts:
MrsCampbellBlack · 19/05/2011 22:31

Making sure his foot wasn't near the edge really - sorry am sure you and he are upset but escalators are potentially dangerous. Personally a 2 year old would have been on my hip going up/down one.

bigbuttons · 19/05/2011 22:31

Oh FGS LIFE IS DANGEROUS, it just is .it's also and much less dangerous than it used to be in many ways. Count it as a lucky escape and a lesson learned and move on.

silverfrog · 19/05/2011 22:33

Ilana - my girls are 6 and 4. the 6 year old has ASD.

when we go on escalators we: (assume going up) stand behind them, holding both their hands in ours. stand in the middle of the step myself, which means therefore that dd is also in the middle of the step in fornt of me. if I have to be over to one side, eg on a tube escalator, I either pick up dd (yes, even the large nearly 7 yr old), or put my foot up on the step alongside dd - between her and the edge. so I stand with one foot on my step, and one foot on the step in front - dd is neatly enclosed by my knee/leg and cannot get too close to the edge. I used ot stand like this all the time when they were smaller and more unpredictable.

no extremities for dd to get trapped anywhere. no possibility of a stray foot being caught up.

Original poster
IlanaK · 19/05/2011 22:33

I actually think it would be much more dangerous to be holding him on my hip. He is large and I could much more easily over balance z someone passed us. One of the reasons he was near the edge of the escalator is that you need to stand to the right to allow those walking up to get passed. If he was on my hip, he would have been blocking that path or being knocked into.

As to telling him to keep his foot out of the brush, I have already stated that as an adult I had no idea at all of that danger so it never occurred to me. I have two older children as week and have never told them either.

OP posts:
bibbitybobbityhat · 19/05/2011 22:35

OP, I think it is interesting that you grew up in the US and that one of your first responses to this incident is to make a case for some sort of negligence.

thisisyesterday · 19/05/2011 22:36

beginning to think that mumbling is either drunk or on something judging by her last post

what does that even mean???? Confused

Original poster
IlanaK · 19/05/2011 22:36

It wasn't my first response at all. It was my totally British husband's response.

OP posts:
stealthsquiggle · 19/05/2011 22:36

I do the same as silverfrog - stand behind DC with my foot between theirs and the brushes. I now trust 8yo DS (having impressed upon him) to stand on the step 2 in front of me, with DD (and my foot) on the step between us.

Happygomummy · 19/05/2011 22:37

mumbling you are a hoot!

Do you have a blog, or twitter page?

Night, night sweetie xx

SummerRain · 19/05/2011 22:37

I'd never let a child less than 3 stand on an elevator. I always carried mine and even at 3 ds1 almost gave me a nervous breakdown one day freaking out on one when he wobbled and fell and I had ds2 and bags in my hands. Thank god for the lovely man who grabbed him from hanging off my legs so we could all get off without major incident.

dd is 6 and I still hold her firmly by the arm and ensure she doesn't move.

Sorry about you ds' foot, it's awful when they hurt themselves but playing the blame game is pointless... it was an accident and you'll both know better next time.

follyfoot · 19/05/2011 22:37

Its very depressing to think that anyone is agreeing with the idea of contacting a solicitor. Children should go nearer the middle of escalators, if you didnt take care to make sure of that, its entirely your fault.

As you said yourself, he moved his foot and put it in the gap. Therefore the escalator is dangerous....

Here's a thought. If he had stepped off the path into the road and been injured by a car, would you be contacting a solicitor because cars are dangerous?

Escalators and cars are dangerous. Children do stupid things. Adults have to try to keep them safe. Sometimes the adults cant manage to do it all the time and accidents happen.

mumblechum1 · 19/05/2011 22:37
thisisyesterday · 19/05/2011 22:37

if you're worried about the safety of escalators you could always take the..... wait for it.... stairs!!!

BenzoBetty · 19/05/2011 22:37

You're son had an accident and you are seeing £ signs.

You'll know if you per sue this they'll try and make out it was your parenting that was lacking.

MrsGerardButler · 19/05/2011 22:37

The escalators that I use regularly have clear signs saying 'small children must be carried'. That would put the responsiblity for your DS's safety in your control OP.

Pagwatch · 19/05/2011 22:38

Then this thread is useful.

People should pay attention to the signs by most escalators.

hulababy · 19/05/2011 22:38

IlanaK - You haven't answered by queries.

What do you, or your husband, hope to achieve by instructing a solicitor?

herbietea · 19/05/2011 22:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Happygomummy · 19/05/2011 22:42

thisisyesterday - mumbling's post was directed at me.

It was a v clever play on my name.

But she's fun, you've got to give her some credit. Not many are brave enough to advertise their stupidity so publicly.

basingstoke · 19/05/2011 22:42

If you travel very regularly on the tube, then you should have read the signs by all the escalators.

dobby2001 · 19/05/2011 22:42

I have just searched on youtube and there are tonnes of videos about escalator safety and the dangers of crocs (and that scary 1980s safety filmif anyones wants nightmares Hmm)

I have always drilled into chldren that they stay still on escalators and certainly never put feet under brushes or in yellow lined areas.

Original poster
IlanaK · 19/05/2011 22:42

I don't hope to achieve anything as it is not my idea to contact a solicitor. It was my husbands idea and I am not sure what he wants to achieve.

Very interesting suggestion about keeping your leg between the toddler and the side. Something I will remember in future,

I am off to bed, but jus one final word. I am 39 years old, intelligent and well educated. I have been in London since I was 16 and using the tube and escalators the whole time. I had no idea there was an risk from the brush and edge of the escalator. So how was I meant to forsee and prevent this happening as has been suggested n here? I am n the other hand aware of the dangers of being hit by a car and therefore ensure my son does not step out into the road. I thin one needs to be are of risk to prevent it.

OP posts:
callmeovercautious · 19/05/2011 22:44

Sorry he was hurt. Hope he feels better soon.

An escalator without a gap is called a Staircase.

follyfoot · 19/05/2011 22:45

Just about all of us knew that escalators - and particularly the edges - are dangerous (especially in soft shoes), if you didnt know that, then that, I'm afraid is your fault. But you do now, and thats a positive.

hulababy · 19/05/2011 22:47

Did you never see any of the warning signs next to escalators?

I would be interesting what your DH hopes to achieve by consulting a solicitor. By knowing what he would want to happen, we could advise further on next steps, if any.

I do hope your little one is ok. Guess you have all learnt a lesson and now know to warn all your children that escalators are dangerous.

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