After learning about the serious accident that occurred at Midway Airport involving a child and a shoe entrapment I was interested in the news piece that Jay Levine, CBS Channel 2, had prepared for the March 4th, ten o’clock newscast.
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/escalator.kid.anthony.2.1518186.html
Being a vertical transportation geek, and yes we do exist, I was interested in watching the episode even knowing that any time elevators and escalators are in the news it typically involves an accident. After watching the segment I came to one conclusion, Jay Levine you totally missed a key opportunity to promote elevator and escalator safety. Even after getting advice from one of our great industry experts, Dick Gregory.
I would like to preface the rest of my information by saying that I don’t have the details of this accident nor am I an expert on escalators design or construction. However, I am a parent who rides escalators with his children and quite often need to remind them to not drag there feet along the side of the escalator or try to clean there shoe with the escalator brushes. The escalator signage is not complicated nor is it difficult to understand.
Keep your away from the sides means keep your feet away from the sides! If you keep your feet away from the sides of the escalator they have little chance of getting entrapped by the sides, regardless of if brushes are installed, escalators are maintained properly.
It would have nice had you spent more time trying to educate the audience about the safe and proper use of elevators and escalators. Promote the Elevator Escalator Safety foundation at www.eesf.org and helping in educating parents and kids that when we take the proper safety steps to ride them.
CBS2 News, please consider doing a segment on elevator and escalator safety. Help prevent accidents like this from happening in the future! Here are two great programs that should be watched online.
P.S. Channel 2 reported on the escalator accident that happened at Union Station in Chicago; however Jay Levine failed to tie the two together. In that accident a child’s hand got caught and the child was injured. Why didn’t you cover this one too? Help the public support the www.eesf.org!