When you were little, your mother may have told you to tie your shoes and watch your step before stepping onto an escalator. She was right because in my experience at the airport, escalators seem to have gotten the best of many causing minor to serious injuries, including death. Most incidents are caused by loss of balance, slippery surfaces from spilled liquids, and articles of clothing becoming caught in the grating. If you encounter someone  that is injured, the first thing you should do is stop the escalator by depressing the red emergency stop button and calling for help. Last weekend, I got a call from AVCOM stating an elderly man had fallen on an escalator and was suffering from severe injuries. When I arrived at the scene, it was a blood bath. The man had fallen forward and struck his head on the edge of one of the moving steps. The grating and sharpness of these steps are very dangerous. It caused a six inch laceration on his forehead that was very deep. ARFF and paramedics arrived and rushed him to the hospital. Later in the week I heard the man required several stitches and treatment.

Click here for photo #1 (Warning!!! Gruesome. Contains blood.)
Click here for photo #1 (Warning!!! Gruesome. Contains blood.)
Click here for photo #1 (Warning!!! Gruesome. Contains blood.)
Click here for photo #1 (Warning!!! Gruesome. Contains blood.)

Airports have numerous escalators and countless accidents occur on them every year. To my knowledge, they are the prime location for law suits to arise and become a major liability. As disgusting as this may sound, some people fake injuries to sue the airport. Most airports will settle on suits lower than a certain amount, but what these people fail to research is that the money will take years to obtain. I hope you are not disturbed like these people, but the next time you are at the airport maybe you will be extra cautious to avoid an actual injury.