Safety tips to avoid getting stuck in escalators

On Thursday, shocked mallgoers were forced to stand by and watch a hysterical mother struggle to extricate her four-year-old son from an escalator at SM Lazaro in Santa Cruz, Manila.

While the child was eventually rescued, his plight caused concern among mallgoers, especially since prime mallgoing season—summer—is coming up.

In a report by Mark Zambrano on 24 Oras, safety expert Bong Oteyza offered tips to protect kids from getting a foot or a hand stuck in escalators.

"It's better always to put the youngster, yung mga bata, sa gitna nung adult, 'wag sa gilid. Kasi unang-una, delikado rin yun baka mag-over siya dun sa gilid," Oteyza said on Friday.

Any loose clothing or accessories should also be secured to keep them from getting hooked onto the escalators' teeth.

"Do not allow use loose shoelaces, or necklaces, or belt or whatever na pu-puwedeng kainin nung flight nung escalators kasi nag-i-interchange 'yan no, pagdating sa landing, iipit at iipit yun," Oteyza added.

According to the report on Friday, the child in the SM Lazaro incident is now out of the hospital after having his cut-up hand stitched up.

SM Supermalls Marketing Communications Group vice president Millie Dizon said the boy was "immediately attended to" by their emergency response team and taken to a nearby hospital.

His mother did not file any complaints against the mall. —Rie Takumi/JST/BM, GMA News