[rogermugs]

so i'd heard stories about people getting toes stuck in escalators but never took them to heart. I even heard that crocs were particularly prone to getting stuck (and i wear them frequently)...


ANYHOW. a friend of mine's daughter had her shoe stuck 2 months ago... and even lost 2 toes (they re-attached them...)

now that I actually know someone this has happened to... i freak out a bit getting off escalators...

do you know anyone who had something happen?

[Cold Warrior]

I saw someone in an airport once who got some article of clothing (long pants, jacket?) stuck in one of the speeding sidewalks.

[invisibleX]

Escalators are death-machines.

[Tenacious Dyl]

A good friend of mine got his shirt or jacket somehow caught in the spinning hand-rail part, and it forced his arm down against the thing at an angle and straight up broke his arm. His brother had to run and hit the emergency stop button and cut him out of it and get him to a hospital.

[MacosNerd]

I don't have any horror stories but I can see that you could easily get hurt with them. Particularly how kids can be prone to a lot of injuries on them. What scares me the most is seeing parents squeeze a baby carriage onto one. If something happened as their going up, they'd be trapped behind it unable to help.

[Zeeb]

I'm always a little nervous on escalators. The section at the top where the step fold into each other always reminded me of giant gears. It's odd no one has improved this technology in so many years.

[design219]

I have a friend who was helping to carry a large, heavy box with another person down an escalator and somehow his hand got ripped at the bottom landing and he had to get over 20 stitches.

[Paco500]

I'm always careful to hoist up my junk on an escalator, cuz, you know, it's so damn big it might get stuck.

[osiris]

Wow, I thought escalator tragedies were just tales from the old country.

[OldManMac]

Originally Posted by osiris 

Wow, I thought escalator tragedies were just tales from the old country.

They are, but people like to extrapolate lone incidents out to everyone; it gives them something to talk about. There are four escalators in the mall I work in, and I see people's arms, legs, and clothing get ripped off everyday. I started there a year ago, and I'm down to 3 toes myself.

[wallinbl]

I still don't get why the tell you not to take a stroller on the escalator. It's way easier than folding it up, carrying your bags, the stroller and the kid.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by OldManMac 

They are, but people like to extrapolate lone incidents out to everyone; it gives them something to talk about. There are four escalators in the mall I work in, and I see people's arms, legs, and clothing get ripped off everyday. I started there a year ago, and I'm down to 3 toes myself.

Sorry about the toes. I've experienced similar horrors with flesh-eating elevators, I'm just a stump at this point.

[Luca Rescigno]

I don't get how people can get so hurt on escalators.

[@pplejaxkz]

That kid is BACK on the escalators!

[andi*pandi]

the escalator is one reason why they stopped putting drawstrings on kids clothes. kids getting strangled.

an article about the croc thing, apparently the grippy rubber is the problem:

Kids, escalators, clogs don't mix : Business : Ventura County Star

[design219]

Fun on an escalator... or an accident just waiting to happen:

YouTube - Cute Blonde Escalator Spin Trick

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by Luca Rescigno 

I don't get how people can get so hurt on escalators.

It's a side effect of not paying any attention.

[Luca Rescigno]

Originally Posted by wallinbl 

It's a side effect of not paying any attention.

Well then I see how it would affect a lot of people.

[@pplejaxkz]

I work at the mall and I see so many people doing dumb things on escalators. Is it really that hard to resist? Can you stand still for 10 seconds?

[scaught]

Originally Posted by wallinbl 

I still don't get why the tell you not to take a stroller on the escalator. It's way easier than folding it up, carrying your bags, the stroller and the kid.

I hope this is a joke.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by scaught 

I hope this is a joke.

It is a bit of a joke, although I will take an umbrella stroller up the escalator.

[Andy8]

We have the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world, and it never seems to amaze me how much trouble people can get into on a slow moving automated walkway ~

[turtle777]

Reason # 4536 not to wear Crocs.

-t

[Tiresias]

So it's not an old wives tale!

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Tiresias 

So it's not an old wives tale!

No, because they wear wooden clogs, and don't have these issues.

-t

[SSharon]

I saw someone get some clothing stuck at the top of an escalator in the trenton train station a few years ago. It only took a second for someone to help pull the clothing free, the problem was that the escalator was packed and people had to climb over the woman to get off or risk forcing the people behind them down the stairs.

What I don't get is why people suddenly become immobile the instant they step on an escalator. It's still stairs people - get movin' or get out of my way!

[hokie17]

This thread has made me decide to watch Mallrats yet again.

[Oneota]

Originally Posted by hayesk 

What I don't get is why people suddenly become immobile the instant they step on an escalator. It's still stairs people - get movin' or get out of my way!

No kidding. It's my #1 pet peeve at malls and airports (and Moscone West). There are no little animatronic pirates, folks! It ain't a ride! Keep MOVING!

[olePigeon]

What? Do you know that kid or something?

I hope his pants get caught and a bloodbath ensues.

What is with you today?

Don't get me wrong. I don't wish the kid harm, but his mother should suffer that horrific ordeal so she'll learn how to manage her child.

That's sort of a harsh lesson, don't you think?

There's not a year goes by that I don't read about an escalator accident involving some bastard kid that could've been easily avoided had some parent -- I don't care which one -- but some parent, conditioned him to fear and respect that escalator!

...

That kid is back on the escalator again!

...

Oh, my God. That kid is sitting on the escalator again!

...

Somebody get a medic! There's a little boy caught in the escalator!

[hokie17]

He informed me of his intention to screw my girlfriend in a very uncomfortable place.

What, like the back of a Volkswagen?





Oh, a sailboat!

You know what?! THERE IS NO EASTER BUNNY!! OVER THERE IT'S JUST A GUY IN A SUIT!!!!!

[@pplejaxkz]

Originally Posted by hokie17 

This thread has made me decide to watch Mallrats yet again.

----
I'm sorry they maybe comfortable, but I hate the way crocs look and feel.

[KeriVit]

When I was a kid, my shoelace got pulled in then, naturally, my shoe and, of course, my foot. No loss of toes. It was Sears. After I was done crying, they gave me Hong Kong Phooey socks and sneakers with traffic signs on them. I still can't step on an escalator without looking down and carefully stepping onto one step.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by hokie17 

Oh, a sailboat!

You know what?! THERE IS NO EASTER BUNNY!! OVER THERE IT'S JUST A GUY IN A SUIT!!!!!

Wow, it's a schooner!

Hah, hah, hah. You dumb bastard! It's not a schooner, it's a sailboat.

A schooner is a sailboat, stupidhead.

You know what? There is no Easter Bunny! Over there is just a guy in a suit!

[hokie17]

Good lord! This happened TODAY (edit: just realized it was Tuesday. News broke today) in my hometown. The kid wasn't hurt, but good riddance to the crocs (they had the UNC TarHOLES on them).

http://www.wxii12.com/news/16845795/...s=gws&psp=news

Boy Escapes Injury After 'Crocs' Lodge In Mall Escalator

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- A 9-year-old Lexington boy whose Croc sandals got caught in a Hanes Mall escalator Tuesday evening nearly escaped injury after he was able to yank his foot out.

Becky Simmons said she thought her son Jake was playing around the escalator, but later discovered that he was holding on to the rail and standing on the side of the stair when his shoe got stuck, burned, and torn.

"It scared me. I felt stunned and shocked and I thought maybe something was going to happen," Simmons, who said his Crocs were now unwearable, told WXII's Kim Gebbia.

This isn't the first time Crocs been caught in an escalator. In similar incidents across the country, the shoes reportedly rub against the side of the escalator, heat up, and get caught between the gap. Serious injuries, including amputated toes have been reported in some of the incidents.

Jake was more lucky. "It burned my toe a little bit," he said.

"He was kind of limping and he had tears in his eyes and he was worried about what happened," Becky Simmons said. "It just sucked his shoe into the side."
Simmons said she later realized that her son's accident wasn't isolated, and decided to research similar incidents online.

"I mailed the articles to all of my friends and told them that Jakes' incident could've been a lot worse," she said. "I think there should be a warning."
Hanes Mall said they didn't have a comment on the incident, but did say they would consider placing warnings near their escalators.

The makers of Crocs said they have designed a new tag for their shoes that include escalator safety tips and that, "Crocs shoes are completely safe. Escalators and moving sidewalks, particularly those that have not received proper care and maintenance, can be dangerous and pose risks to their riders."
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said nearly 10,000 Americans are treated each year after accidents on escalators. About 2,000 of those injuries involve shoes, feet or hands becoming trapped in the moving stairs.

Now Jake is not allowed to wear his new pair of Crocs at the mall or anywhere near an escalator.

He said he's learned his lesson. "It can be very dangerous to ride an escalator with Crocs."

[mydog8mymac]

I'll no longer stumble from the airport bar to my flight with such abandon.

[Oneota]

Originally Posted by hokie17 

Good lord! This happened TODAY in my hometown. The kid wasn't hurt, but good riddance to the crocs (they had the UNC TarHOLES on them).

http://www.wxii12.com/news/16845795/...s=gws&psp=news

Boy Escapes Injury After 'Crocs' Lodge In Mall Escalator
[...snip...]

[hokie17]

Funny thing is, I almost bought a pair of Crocs (black) the other day when shopping with my girlfriend. I had to get a bathing suit and ended up getting some camo flip-flops instead of the crocs.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Reason # 4536 not to wear Crocs.

-t

I only need the one reason not to wear crocs.

Oh, and to all the Mallrats quotes.