Tragedy Strikes In The Blink Of An Eye

Those of you who have read my blogs know that I try to make light of day to day life. I'm going to stray from that format and pray that you pass this along to friends and family.


On Friday April 15th, a family from Dudley MA, experienced an unspeakable tragedy. Their four year old son ran toward an escalator, grabbed the moving handrail and was pulled up and somehow became lodged between the escalator and a plexiglass barrier. He then fell 18 feet onto a jewelry counter below. He lost his fight for life the next day. All in the blink of an eye.


Escalators are not toys. I have witnessed some of the most ridiculous and dangerous behavior on and around escalators. A few weeks ago a woman, with two children on foot and one in a stroller, came up the escalator. As she neared the top she lost her footing and nearly fell backward down the moving steps. I have seen parents showing their children how fun it is to walk down the up escalator, and vice versa. I have seen parents become so engrossed in doing their shopping that they forget all about their children, and these unattended children amuse themselves around the escalators. I have seen elderly people lose their balance and fall because they don't feel as if they need to hold onto the handrail. I have seen elderly people with walkers and canes attempt to use the escalator. I have seen able bodied shoppers bogged down with bags of newly purchased goods get on the escalator and slip.


I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that 99.9% of multilevel shopping malls and department stores are equipped with elevators. And while they tend to be tucked away in a corner, making it necessary to walk a bit more, use them, they could save a life.


And parents, your children are more precious then that gift you need to buy, watch them. Keep their hand in yours and don't let them out of your sight. Any number of horrors can happen to unattended children. Tragedy can strike, your life can forever change, all in the blink of an eye.