FYI: Why Are Escalators So Dangerous?
Crikey! Hazardous Crocs Getty Images/Washington Post The escalator was patented in 1892, and the design hasn't changed much since then. The landing platforms make entry and exit dicey endeavors-particularly when the moving stairs disappear beneath them, and all manner of clothing and body parts can get stuck. In recent years, escalators have torn the big toe from a Croc-wearing child in Singapore, bucked dozens of riders in Washington, D.C., and strangled a tipsy sushi chef when the hood of his sweatshirt got caught in the gap between the stairs and the landing platform. One of the worst escalator accidents in modern history occurred in 1987, when a London Underground station escalator exploded, billowing flame into the ticketing hall. Thirty-one people died. The cause was found to be pounds of "fluff"-bits of paper and lint-and grease that had collected in the inner workings and undercarriage of the machine. Since then, deflector brushes,...