The family of a three-year-old boy who lost a toe after getting trapped in an Ocean Park escalator has demanded that the park install more safety devices to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
The accident reportedly occurred last September after the child’s shoe got stuck in the escalator mechanism. He was pulled free from the machine by his pregnant mother, but his grandfather, surnamed Choi, questioned why the escalator didn’t automatically stop.
In a press conference yesterday, Choi added that park staff had been unhelpful after his grandson was freed and postponed his hospitalisation in order to assess him at a first aid station 500 metres away.
The grandfather claims park officials later attempted to keep the matter confidential by giving the family a HKD100,000 cash settlement, SCMP reports.
A park spokesperson confirmed that they had offered monetary compensation, but denied that it was hush money, and denied that the offer indicated culpability on Ocean Park’s part.
Regardless, the family rejected the suggestion, instead asking for more cash, a formal apology, and an investigation into why the escalator continued to move.
Lawmaker James To says the answer lies within the machine’s age.
While all of the relevant safety devices were inspected and reported to be working properly, To says the escalator, which was built in 1984, doesn’t have enough motion sensors to comply with new safety regulations.
Currently, the machines – which form one of the longest outdoor escalator system in the world, second only to the Mid-Levels escalators – is only fitted with two motion sensors, but the lawmaker says there should be 75 on each side, based on updated safety standards.
There is no existing legislation that requires older escalators to comply with current safety standards.
Recently, similar questions have been raised about the need for older buildings to comply with the latest safety measures, after a 66-year-old building without a sprinkler system burned for 108 hours, killing two firemen in the process.
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