A 4-year-old boy who got his wellington boot stuck in an escalator has had his toes ripped off.

The boy and his family had left their home in Sittingbourne, Kent and gone out for the day when the incident happened at London Bridge station.

His mother was in front of him when the incident happened and she tried to find an emergency stop but it was his father who pulled their son free.

While he was no longer stuck, the incident meant the young boy lost a toe and part of another toe, the Standard reports.

Luckily, a doctor was passing the family and helped them when the incident occurred on January 1, 2023 at around 7pm.

Young boy loses toes after getting stuck in an escalator

The boy’s toes were put in ice and taken to the hospital with him but they couldn’t be reattached by doctors.

His father told the Standard: “A lovely family day out ended in absolute disaster for us”.

He added: “I am confident our little boy wasn’t doing anything he shouldn’t have been on the escalator, we were right next to him, and it was such a frightening experience to see him suddenly trapped like that.”

Speaking about the aftermath of the incident, he said: “Our little boy has been really suffering and is now completely terrified of going near any escalators or lifts.

“We felt it was important to speak out about what happened to us, so parents know to be extremely vigilant when travelling around London.”

“Senior associate Ben Pepper said Network Rail has denied liability and says the escalator was not unsafe or faulty”, the Standard reports.

“This family’s harrowing ordeal really shines a spotlight on the dangers of escalators and particularly the dangers of travelling with children”, he said.

“It’s really disappointing to see Network Rail deny liability for this issue and we hope, through our ongoing legal investigation we can identify those features of the escalator that were unsafe, and ensure this tragedy doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

Bolt Burdon Kemp is asking witnesses to come forward with information by emailing benpepper@bbkllp.co.uk or calling 020 7288 4815.

The Standard contacted Network Rail and a spokesperson for the company said: “The safety and wellbeing of our passengers is always our number one priority and our thoughts are with the young boy and his family at this very difficult time.

“Everyone in Network Rail and particularly the team at London Bridge station are saddened by this incident, however, while the case is ongoing, it would be inappropriate for us to comment any further at this stage.”