A freak accident at Jusco
I hate seeing accidents happen in front of my eyes. So far the worst I saw was a body that was pinned under a lorry that left only half of the top part and the bottom part totally crashed.
Not only true horrible images like this will display in my mind for days, make me so worry about everything on earth unnecessary, hubby turned into a phobia easily and then becoming a nag too.
Another freak accident happened again, 2 days back, to a little boy, about 3-4 years old. We were on window shopping at a nearby Jusco after our dinner. Suddenly we heard an *Eekk…Eeekkk….EEKKKK* very eerie scream from the escalator that was coming down. A Malay family of 3 was there squatting down on the moving down escalator and obviously their little boy’s hand got stuck at the side of the moving escalator!!!
That few seconds seems to last like forever before a Jusco personnel quickly ran forward to stop the escalator.
When the father ran down the escalator with the boy and his crying wife, hubby and I turned green upon seeing how badly that little boy’s hand was. It was a horrible sight for everyone who was standing around there, for everyone was too stunt to move. A few personnel from Jusco was leading the accident victim, running in and out from the entrance, like headless chicken (probably figuring out what’s the quickest way to send the kid to hospital).
Skin from half of his palm was torn up and all I saw was blood everywhere on that poor boy’s all fingers.
Our knees turned so weak that hubby and I quickly carried our boys, and leave the mall very soon. As expected, hubby freaks out immediately and no longer allow the unstable Kakak (did I mention that she almost fall the first few times when she first arrived here, during riding an escalator?) to carry or hold any of the kid while on escalator.
After I left, only I realized I left out something very important. I should have go and find out how the boy’s little hand got stuck in there but then I was too shocked to do anything at that time.
After checking and observe again while riding an escalator yesterday, I guess the accident can happened this way:
While the boy bended down, perhaps picked something that has fallen from his grip, skin from one of the finger must have been brushed against the side. Because it was moving, there is a force to suck and pull parts of the tiny finger and therefore the whole hand into that thin and narrow hole at the side of the steps, on the yellow line.
Points to look out to for parents
- Carry your little toddler during using escalator to prevent them from squatting down, JUST IN CASE
- Warn your older child about the danger of escalator, explain DOs and DON’Ts clearly
- Teach your older children to HOLD ONLY the TOP PART of the BLACK RUBBER UPPER RAIL without fingers into the side/bottom of the rubber rail (a FB friend shared her niece’s hand was somehow trapped on that part years back too!)
- Younger kids should not be allowed to touch any parts of the escalator, DO NOT PICK UP something that has been dropped on the steps!
- Parents should use lift when kids are placed in stroller
- Even if it is a MUST to ride on an escalator with a child on stroller, do make sure that the child’s hand DO NOT TOUCH at part at the side of the escalator!
A day after that, part of Didi’s finger skin (between his thumb and his pointer) somehow got snapped between the Ikea Chair safefy belt buckle while he was playing with the it at a restaurant in Mid Valley. You won’t believe how loudly I squealed and screamed at him for that!!
I shall go back to that Jusco one day to ask clearly again, on how the boy’s hand got stuck in there. Can’t wait to find out if he is alright too. Right now, I am still hearing the eerie cry, “Eeekk…..eeeeKKKK…..EEEEKKKK” clearly in my mind:( It is so eerie that until now, QQ keep thinking that it was the sound of the skin brushing again the side of the escalator!! * ….eeeeeee…..*
That’s terrible!!! Really, parents are to blame. What does a child know? I agree with all your advice above. I never allow my maid to bring my kids to ride the escalator. Come think of it, I don’t even bring my maid out anymore LOL. Anyway, this and the Croc shoes (and hot water!), I’m super-paranoid as well. Hope the kid is ok.
oh geez..I hope that boy is OK. Since my boy kena once before with the croc shoes, though at that time MIL was with him not me, I’ve been super paranoid and each time I go on escalator, my eyes are set to their hands and legs and will even go to the extend of shouting/screaming at them if they try to be funny on the escalator.
I just wonder, how come last time when we were young these things never happen? Since escalators has been around a long way…
i saw a boy’s toes got stuck in the escalator too.. sigh.. scary
hmm hmmm …. my own fren’s son hand was stuck in the escalator too when he is about 6 yo … very scary when she share the photos to me, until now she still cant tell HOW the hand will get stuck in the escalator !!!!!! BUT of cos parents to be blame as she allow her son to seat on the escalator ….. i was paranoid with escalator too when we bring out BOY … u know la, they r playful all time, really hv to watch closely when they using the escalator .
We as parents have to be extra careful when going up and down the escalator, even when using the lift, never let the child stand too close the door and don’t rush out. My PIL are very paranoid with that, fearing that the door might open up to the hallow space and if you rush out, you will fall straight down. We never let any child sit on the stroller when pushing it down the escalator..very dangerous.
Scary…
Aiyo… that’s really terrible. Hope the finger bones r not affected. Really hv to be double triple careful when taking the escalator/lift with kids.
OMG, I can’t imagine the scene you saw at the lorry accident. So gory! There are too many negligent parents out there. So often, I see kids running up and down the escalators, going the opposite direction thinking it is so fun. Sigh…
Sometimes accident are just unpredictable. It is very unfortunate that sometimes we, parents also only learned after the incident. If you do eventually finds out, please share. Hopefully we learn a thing or two out of it
scary ar!!! me too, will always carry my daughter whenever using the escalator. the most is to let her stand in between my leg, i kepit her in the middle and keep telling her don’t move an inch or touch anything!
i wont dare to look if i am there!!! i always scream at the boys when they dun behave on the escalator. it is scarry to hear such horror stories about kids & the escalator
can’t imagine if i’m there…my heart will sure crush! hope the little boy’s fingers are fine & everyone learnt a lesson, thks for sharing!
Oh gosh….must have been scary to watch. Though I wish my son to see something like this so that he will learn to listen to me better when we go on the escalator.
Gosh….really never can expect what a child will do and then what will happen.
OMG,this sounds horrid. I really hope that the boy is ok and does not need to lose his hand. Pls find out what happened to the boy and keep us posted. Tks!