THOUSAND OAKS : Escalator Mangles 6-Year-Old’s Toes

A 6-year-old girl’s toes were mangled when she caught her right foot in an escalator at The Oaks Mall on Friday night, authorities said.

The girl, who was not identified, was taken to Los Robles Regional Medical Center shortly after 7 p.m., Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Larry Brister said.

“Her shoelaces were loose and got caught in the escalator,” Brister said. “She received severe injuries to her toes. She didn’t lose any toes, but it will take some plastic surgery to repair it.”

The girl was going down on the escalator near J.C. Penney and Robinson’s department stores when the accident occurred, Brister said. Her parents were with her and had pulled her foot out by the time paramedics arrived, Brister said.

“I heard her screaming and I went out to see what was going on,” said Angie Ciros, a 16-year-old sales clerk at Parklane Hosiery Store. “She was about to the bottom when they stopped the escalator. She was screaming very loudly--I’m sure the whole mall heard her.”

A sign at the top and another at the bottom of the escalator warn parents not to allow children to ride unattended, and to keep shoes and sneakers away from the sides of the steps.