07/13/2010 // New York, NY, USA // Jonathan C. Reiter // Jonathan C. Reiter
Manhattan, NY—A distraught mother is insisting Macy’s install safe and up-to-date escalators after her 4-year-old son’s finger was severed on the premises Friday, June 2, 2010. The incident occurred at Macy’s department store in Herald Square around 7 p.m. As a result, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) issued Macy’s a violation and placed the rickety wooden escalator out-of-service pending a full probe into the injurious accident. While the case is unfortunate on it’s own, Macy’s is no stranger to accidents like these. In the last five years, two other children have suffered full or partial amputations while riding the outdated escalators, according to information provided by the New York Post.
Natalia Gell-Tejada, along with her husband and her young son, were riding the first-floor escalator when the unthinkable occurred. As the child bent down to reach for a bottle of water he dropped, his pinky finger got caught and was torn off in the hazardous escalator. “It’s not that we weren’t holding his hand or watching… My husband was holding his hand,” Gell-Tejada explained. The boy was rushed to an area hospital where doctors worked vigorously to reattach his severed finger, which had been transported to the hospital on ice. “My son is still not well… They did reattach it, but it’s going to be a couple of days to see how that will work,” said Gell-Tejada.
There have been two other instances in which children were hurt on the wooden escalators. On October 16, 2005, a 4-year-old lost her index finger while riding the potentially dangerous escalator. In a separate December 24, 2006 incident, a 2-year-old’s thumb was partly sliced off while heading to the fourth floor. The escalators in Macy’s have apparently been in operation since 1927. “If they want to keep it like something from Macy’s back in the day, then put it in a museum… I’m going to try my best to make them remove them and put in better escalators, said Gell-Tejada.” Macy’s spokesperson Elina Kazan confirmed the escalators are not in use, as investigations are underway.
Leading New York City premises liability lawyer Jonathan C. Reiter states that if you or a loved one has been injured or killed due to negligence on the part of a property owner or manager, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and damages. With more than thirty years of experience litigating the multifaceted claims of premises liability accident victims and their families, contacting the Law Firm of Jonathan C. Reiter with regard to your particular case may help you obtain the compensation you deserve.
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Jonathan C. Reiter
350 5th Avenue · Suite 2811
New York, NY 10118
Phone: (888) 464-1952
Website: www.jcreiterlaw.com
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