Teen's Hand Stuck in Escalator at Smithsonian Metro Station
A teen got his hand stuck in an escalator Tuesday night inside the Smithsonian rail station, transit officials have reported.
The incident happened at the Metro station and involved a 14 year old Canadian tourist. The Canadian teenage boy was visiting with his family and was entering the station from the National Mall entrance about 8 p.m. when he got on the escalator, according to spokesperson Caroline Lukas.
However, the incident was sparked off when one of the boy's flip flops got jammed in the comb of the escalator as he was approaching the bottom. In a panic he reached down the try and pull his flip flop out but his hand was then pulled into the comb as well and got jammed in the section between the comb and a step.
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The spokesperson described that the escalator was immediately shut off, and transit police and fire officials quickly arrived at the scene to try and help free the boy. In total it is thought to have taken officials approximately 30 minutes to finally free the teenager's hand as he waited there in excruciating pain.
The boy remained conscious the entire time of the incident and was reportedly alert throughout. Once freed he was taken to a local hospital to have his injuries given medical attention and for him to be given a thorough check up. The spokesperson has said that his injuries are not thought to be life threatening, however, she did not release any information as to how badly damaged the boy's hand was, or whether he would recover full functionality of it.
An investigation has been launched into the incident, and officials have said that the escalator will remain shut down as the investigation is conducted. The public has been warned to take caution when riding on escalators, and especially with flip flops, which are known to sometimes get stuck in the combs of the mechanisms.
