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Macy's Wooden Escalator Severs Child's Finger
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 3, 2010
Modified Jul 3, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 3, 2010
Modified Jul 3, 2010
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Macy's wooden escalators at the flagship Herald Square location have claimed another phalange: A four-year-old's finger was "sliced off by one of the store's famous old wooden escalators," according to the Post.
The paper says, "Maxlee Gell was riding with his mother, Natalia, on the third floor shortly after 7 p.m. when he stooped to pick up a bottle of water he dropped and 'his finger got caught in the escalator.'" Cops were able to put the severed finger on ice and take it to Bellevue Hospital, "where doctors were attempting to reattach it last night." Macy's had no other comment except to say that the escalators are "properly maintained." However, WPIX ran a report last December, "According to department of buildings violations, the Macy's flagship store has been guilty of shoddy escalator upkeep for years. In just the last two - records show Macy's owes more than $48,000 for failed escalator inspections."
The wooden escalators are certainly relics of another time—Forgotten NY has a piece on them—and there have been previous injuries: In 2005, a little girl's finger was sliced off when she tripped on them and, in 2006, a two-year-old's thumb was nearly severed during the Christmas rush. Here's video of them in action:
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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