Shanghai Janitor Loses Leg After Another Horrific Escalator Accident

According to state media via CNN, the cleaner was a 35-year-old man named Zhang who worked at Cloud Nine shopping mall.

Video surveillance from Saturday shows Zhang laying down a piece of cloth near the top of the escalator and stepping forward. However, as soon as Zhang stepped onto the linen, the metal panel beneath slid down into the escalator’s machinery and swallowed his leg.

When the fire fighters arrived, they were able to save Zhang’s life but at the expense of his leg. After he was rushed to the hospital, medics were forced to amputate Zhang’s leg from the calf down.

A close family member told state media:

Authorities are still investigating the accident, but as of now, the Shanghai Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau reports that Zhang was a victim of his own error. Regulations require employees to power off escalator operations before ensuing maintenance. Unfortunately for Zhang, he failed to shut down the escalator.

This escalator accident is the third in a strange series of accidents seen recently in China.

Last Wednesday, a mother in Jingzhou, China was pulled to her death inside an escalator after a similar panel dysfunction, but not before saving the life of her 2-year-old son.

Two days ago, a small child suffered multiple injuries and fractured his left arm when his hand got stuck in an open gap on an escalator in Guangxi, China.

While there were only 49 escalator-related incidents reported last year, people across China are now taking particular caution as they ride escalators.