A Canadian mother is calling for awareness around escalator safety after her toddler’s leg got caught in one at an airport.
Andrea Diaczok, her husband Jeff Lee, and their two-year-old son Julian, were flying back home to Calgary on Friday after visiting family in Vancouver.
They were halfway down an escalator at the Vancouver International Airport when Julian’s boot became stuck between the side railing and the stairs.
A Canadian mother is calling for awareness surrounding escalator safety after her two-year-old son Julian’s leg got caught in one at an airport (Pictured, Julian)
Andrea Diaczok (right), her husband Jeff Lee (center) were at Vancouver International Airport heading home to Calgary when Julian’s boot became stuck between the side railing and the stairs
‘His whole boot basically disappeared,’ Diaczok told the Calgary Herald. ‘The teeth bit onto his toe midway…I started screaming for help.’
Diaczok took a photo of Julian’s rubber boot, which was left completely shredded by the metal teeth of the stairs.
‘It twisted his leg around and broke his leg and then the entire foot of the boot disappeared in the side of the escalator,’ she said.
Julian’s boot was so wedged in the escalator that it took help from airport employees and bystanders to cut him free, according to the Herald.
Diaczok and Lee, who both work in the medical field, were prepared for the worst.
Julian’s boot was so wedged in the escalator that it took help from airport employees and bystanders to cut him free, but he was able to escape with just a broken leg and bruises
A spokeswoman with the Vancouver Airport Authority said an investigation into the incident is underway and that safety is a top priority (Pictured, Vancouver International Airport)
‘I didn’t even know if his foot was there . . . I didn’t know if there’s only a stump there at this point.’
Luckily, Julian was able to escape the situation with just a broken leg and a few bruises.
Diaczok said she’s been teaching her son about escalator safety in getting on and off, but wasn’t prepared for him becoming stuck halfway down.
‘He hops at the top, he hops at the bottom. We make a game of it, ‘don’t touch this part, always step over.’ But I’ve never heard of (getting stuck) in the sides,’ she said.
A spokeswoman with the Vancouver Airport Authority told the Herald an investigation into the incident is underway and that safety is a top priority.