Seattle Injury Lawyer Blog
Four people fell when an escalator inside Bellevue Square shopping center malfunctioned Thursday evening, according to the Bellevue Fire Department.
A 30-year-old man, a woman and two 3-year-olds were taken to Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue after the 7:21 p.m. malfunction on the ground floor of Macy’s.
A witness reported she heard a loud sound followed by chaos near the escalator. When she went toward the noise, she saw that chunks of the escalator had fallen off.
A mechanical failure led to the accident, not a structural collapse. The escalator had been installed in 1982 and maintained regularly since by the company Schindler.
A state inspector from the Department of Labor & Industries also checks the escalator monthly, according to a release from Kemper Development Company, which owns Bellevue Square.
The state escalator inspector had been alerted, and an investigation is expected.
If you are injured in a retail store or retail shopping center, you are considered to be an “invitee” and the owner and/or operator of the premises owes you a heightened duty to protect you from unreasonable hazards. If you are injured due to the failure of equipment in such a location, you may also have claims against those that have been contracted to maintain the equipment.