Growing up, many of us have heard the advice of being extremely careful while on the escalators—and more importantly so for young children who tend to be more active and playful.
A toddler whose foot got caught in an escalator at VivoCity on Sunday (13 Sep), once again emphasises the importance of it.
The incident was caught on camera and uploaded onto video-sharing social networking service TikTok by the user (@wonraekang0523). A boy and two adults—presumably his parents—were seen from the footage.
Image source: Screengrab from TikTok/wonraekang0523
They appeared to be hunched over the 3-year-old. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel were also present to provide assistance to the boy.
SCDF said they were alerted to the incident at level 1 of VivoCity Mall around 2.20pm on 13 September.
Image source: Screengrab from TikTok/wonraekang0523
Here’s a closer view of the situation according to footage from TikTok user @ellahmhaypasigon.
Image source: Screengrab from TikTok/ellahmhaypasigon
SCDF Rescues 3-year-old Boy
After realising that the boy’s foot had been stuck in an escalator, SCDF used a hydraulic rescue tool to ease his foot out.
SCDF rescues 3-year-old at VivoCity mall. | Image source: Screengrab from Instagram/sgfollowsall
The toddler was later rushed to the National University Hospital for treatment.
Another footage of the incident was uploaded onto Instagram account @sgfollowsall, which garnered quite a few reactions from the public. While it is uncertain as to how the boy had ended up getting his foot caught in the escalator, some shared that they have been through similar experiences, and advised others not to play with the sides of the escalator.
Image source: Instagram screengrab
Parents with baby strollers and young children were also advised to take the elevator instead to be on the safe side, according to one Instagram user.
Image source: Instagram screengrab
Image source: Instagram screengrab
Some netizens, however, attributed the cause of the incident to the child wearing crocs—possibly due to the shoe charms that one could attach to their crocs shoes.
Image source: Instagram screengrab
Image source: Instagram screengrab
Ultimately, the best way to prevent such incidents from taking place is to educate ourselves and others about child safety practices when out and about.
Tips To Ensure Your Child’s Safety When Away from Home
- Always be aware of your surroundings, and be alert to what your child is doing. Some, if not many of us love taking selfies with our little ones especially when outdoor. But take caution as a moving escalator is not the place for this.
- Similarly, any place that is high up and where the railing ends at an adult’s waist-level is unsafe to take selfies while carrying a baby especially. Babies are wriggly, and can easily slip out of your arms in a split second if you are distracted.
- Likewise, toddlers and young children are small enough to slip through fence railings, for example, those at scenic locations.
- Do NOT allow children to play near escalators, travellators (in airports, for example) or lifts.
- Instruct older children to stand in the middle of escalator steps. Hold their hand until they step off.
- Do NOT take strollers up or down escalators. Use the lift instead.
- If you are at a mall with older kids, instruct them about what to do should they find themselves lost. They could go to the lobby, or inform a security officer, for example. Get them to memorise your phone number, or note it down on a lanyard where they can carry at all times.
- If your helper or a caregiver takes your children out often, make them understand how important it is to always keep their attention on your kids. Not on their phones. Never elsewhere.
Image source: Screengrab from TikTok/wonraekang0523
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