Yet another escalator mishap - boy's shoe caught in Lucky Plaza escalator gap

In yet another escalator mishap in recent weeks, a boy's shoe was caught in the gap of an escalator at Lucky Plaza.

Fortunately, alert bystanders quickly pressed the emergency stop button and helped the child escape unharmed.

A TikTok video posted on Feb 24 by user saimarn13 shows a young boy riding the escalator with a man and another child, when his left shoe gets trapped in the gap near the escalator platform.

The boy appears frightened as the man in front rushes to lift him, attempting to free his foot.

The person behind the camera quickly presses the emergency stop button while another passer-by steps in to assist.

The boy removes his shoe and frees himself. Though shaken, he appears uninjured.

The incident is the latest in a series of recent escalator mishaps involving children.

On Feb 22, a young girl wearing large-toe shoes had her left foot caught in an escalator at Sengkang Grand Mall. She was later taken to the hospital for treatment.

Just a week earlier, on Feb 15, a nine-year-old girl's sandal got stuck in an escalator gap at Thomson Plaza. Fortunately, her father reacted quickly, unstrapping her sandal to free her before her foot could be pulled in.

Singapore has over 7,000 escalators, and incidents like these are not uncommon.

According to the Building and Construction Authority, between 2022 and 2024, an average of 771 escalator-related incidents were reported annually. Alarmingly, 97 per cent of these cases were due to user missteps.

A BCA spokesperson noted that over 40 per cent of escalator mishaps involved seniors aged 60 and above, while around 10 per cent involved children aged 12 and below.

Although there are safety features like skirt brushes and emergency stop buttons, parents are urged to remain vigilant when accompanying children on escalators.

Children should keep their feet away from the escalator edges, stand in the middle of the step while facing forward, and step off properly instead of "sliding" off at the exit platform.