10 Million Dollar Settlement For 5-Year-Old Child Whose Hand Was Trapped In An Escalator

January 30, 2024 – After 6 years of litigation, Stephen D. Phillips and Phillips Law Offices secured an outstanding $10 million settlement on behalf of a child injured in a harrowing escalator incident at a Chicagoland commercial building. The unfortunate incident occurred when the child bent down on the escalator to pick up a toy he dropped and his hand became caught between the step and the side of the escalator. His hand was dragged down the 42-year-old escalator more than 20 feet while bystanders searched for an emergency stop button that was hidden below the handrail. Shockingly, the escalator lacked a high mount emergency stop button, which allowed the child’s fingers to be continuously twisted and mangled before the escalator stopped moving.

Stephen D. Phillips conducted a thorough and complete investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, uncovering substantial evidence of the building owners’ repeated disregard for crucial safety measures. After subpoenaing thousands of pages of documents nationwide, he was able to show that the building owner had been warned on multiple occasions that its escalators were old and needed modernization. They also failed to ensure proper escalator maintenance, neglected essential cleaning measures, and deferred crucial safety upgrades to save money. As a result, our client lost two fingers.

The $10 million settlement will provide this young man the financial security to cover medical expenses, future care, rehabilitation, and aid in ensuring a better quality of life as he navigates the challenges of adulthood.

This case was handled by Stephen D. Phillips.

For more information contact
Stephen D. Phillips
Phillips Law offices
161 N. Clark Street
Chicago, Illinois
phillipslawoffices.com
312-346-4262
C 312-550-0005