City Settles With Family Of Boy Whose Foot Was Mangled In Airport Escalator
CHICAGO (CBS) -- He was just riding an escalator at Midway Airport and holding his mother's hand when his foot got dragged in and mangled.
On Thursday, the family of a 9-year-old from Downer's Grove has settled a lawsuit with the city that called attention to the dangers of escalators.
CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez reports.
Security cameras caught the accident on tape. Guards ran to hit the safety switch. The victim's 7-year-old brother runs off in fear, after watching his brother's foot get dragged in.
Moments later, Anthony Rosalia, his mother at his side, is wheeled away.
The rugged hiking shoe he was wearing was completely shredded. Anthony's toes were mangled.
"He lost two of his toes ... So it's a permanent problem. He has some issues with running and some balance. He's always obviously self-conscious of the issue, and then he still has pain," attorney Marty Dolan says.
He filed a lawsuit on behalf of the family, claiming the city failed to maintain its escalators. The suit was settled for $600,000.
Dolan says there was no "skirt deflector brush" along the side of the escalator stairs. They are now in place at Midway to warn people when they're too close to the side.
Pictures taken after the accident indicated there weren't any then. Nor was there any lubricant, which is designed to prevent the kind of friction that dragged in Anthony's foot.
The one-time travel hockey player has not returned to the ice, but he does now have money for a college fund.
The Rosalia family hopes their story puts parents on alert around escalators, so no one else goes through what they did.
City Hall says it is launching a tougher inspection program for escalators and elevators at both airports but is not admitting liability in the settlement.
