A one-year-old boy suffers severe injuries after the toddler’s penis gets trapped in an escalator.
The child’s grandfather, who saw the boy’s injury, says that he almost fainted when he saw his grandson.
Toddler’s Penis Gets Trapped in an Escalator: How Did It Happen?
The horrific accident happened at a shopping centre in Hong’an county in China. According to reports, the toddler was in a shopping centre with his grandfather during the accident.
His grandfather shared that they were playing at a playground when his grandson suddenly ran towards the escalator. The boy then tripped and fell, and got his penis stuck in the gap between the steps.
“His entire foreskin was ripped off after a bit of his skin on the left side [of his penis] was caught by the escalator,” a doctor shared.
The grandfather added that he almost fainted when he saw his grandson’s injuries. The toddler was wearing open-crotch pants, which are popular in mainland China.
Bystanders Were Quick to Respond to the Boy
Thankfully, bystanders who heard the child screaming quickly responded and pressed the emergency button on the escalator.
Firefighters and paramedics soon arrived and managed to free the toddler and took him to a nearby hospital.
A team of doctors performed reconstructive surgery and removed any damaged tissue. Thankfully, doctors believe that the boy won’t have any problems with his fertility.
Dr. Wang Jun, one of the doctors who cared for the boy, urges that parents stop letting their children wear open-crotch pants. He shared that these pants provide very little protection, and it exposes their genitals to infection.
Thankfully, the child was taken to the hospital in time.
Escalator Safety is Important!
While escalators provide a lot of convenience for us, it’s still important to know that escalators can potentially cause injury.
Here are some important tips to keep in mind when it comes to escalator safety:
- Children shouldn’t sit on escalator steps. This is because their clothing and/or fingers could get caught in the mechanism.
- Avoid letting children play or ride on the handrails.
- Always hold your child’s hand and keep an eye on them when riding an escalator.
- Don’t let children run on an escalator as they can trip and fall and injure themselves.
- Avoid letting children drag their feet on the escalator’s sides.
- Escalators and strollers don’t mix. If you have a baby on a stroller, it would be best to take the elevator instead.
Source: Zaker News, China
Photo screen capped from: Mirror.co.uk
READ: What you must know about the importance of genital hygiene for kids