A 14-year-old boy visiting with his family from Canada got his hand stuck in a Metro escalator Tuesday night, shutting down service at one entrance of the Smithsonian Metro stop.
The teen was riding down the National Mall entrance escalator around 8 p.m. when his flip-flop got caught in a comb plate around 8 p.m., said Metro spokesman Dan Stessel. He tried to free it with his hand, but that got stuck instead as the escalator neared the bottom.
D.C. Fire & EMS reported that he had four fingers stuck in the escalator. Stessel said the portion of his hand at the base of the fingers was affected, though the extent of the injuries was not immediately clear Tuesday night.
The escalator stopped after moving a bit further, Stessel said, though it was initially unclear if its safety features stopped it automatically, as they are supposed to, or whether someone hit the emergency button.
Emergency crews had to remove a piece of the escalator comb plate but about 40 minutes after the teen was trapped, his hand was freed.
He was taken to Children’s Hospital with injuries that are not considered life threatening, Stessel said. He was conscious throughout the rescue, Stessel said.
The escalator will remain out of service until it can be fully inspected, which is standard after any injury, Stessel said.
