HOUSTON – The family of a 3-year-old girl who lost four fingers in an escalator incident at a Houston area H-E-B filed a lawsuit against the grocery company and TK Elevator Corporation, according to a press release by Attorney Ben Crump.
The lawsuit accuses H-E-B and TK Elevator of negligence, gross negligence, and premises liability.
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The incident happened on March 30, 2024, when the girl was shopping with her parents at the H-E-B.
According to the release, the girl was trapped in a gap between the escalator steps and a side panel. Her hand became stuck, which resulted in the loss of her fingers.
The release said the escalator’s safety features were supposed to stop the machinery while the girl was trapped, but it failed.
Although the family of the girl tried to free her, the release said her fingers were severed down to her palm, leaving the girl permanently disabled.
“This tragic incident has forever altered the life of a 3-year-old child and her family,” said Crump. “The defendants failed in their basic duty to keep customers safe, and their negligence resulted in a young child losing her fingers in a horrific incident that could have been avoided with proper maintenance. This was completely preventable.”
The lawsuit accuses H-E-B and TK Elevator of multiple failures, including an unmaintained escalator, broken safety features, and failure to preserve evidence, the release said.
The family of the 3-year-old girl seeks more than $1 million in damages, according to the release.