I am from Iowa and visited the Mall of America on Saturday June, 31st. My first ten minutes of being inside of the mall, and my first ride on an escalator that day, I had the biggest scare of my life! While approaching the end of the escalator and my friend a step ahead of me, my shoe and toes were sucked into the bottom of the escalator! While standing there in disbelief, onlookers began to come over and help evaluate the situation. My friend then saw a MOA security officer standing aprox. 30ft away and approached him and brought it to his attention that my shoe was completely ripped off my shoe and must have been in the machine down under. If this wasn't bad enough, the security officer came over, shut off the machine and told us we could go on our way. I then asked "you need my info" he then stated "No, you aren't hurt right?' That was a little odd that he wouldn't have just at least taken my name?

My friend and I and everyone else in the crowed then made the discovery that about 6 inches of the faceplate covering the bottom of the escalator was missing! Like these aren't dangerous enough without being faulty? It was a big enough hole that if it would have been a child's foot, the outcome would have been much much worse. I then decided to go the customer service to see if I could get them to at least pay for pair of shoes to get me home, since I was walking around with one shoe... The lady at costumer service and her co-workers behind the counter then started to laugh at our story. She said "No, it’s a Saturday - I don't know what to do. And that was that. We then decided to just leave the mall when the security officer approached us and said "you the one that lost your shoe?" (Duh-As I was the only person in MOA walking around with only one shoe) He then wanted my info and told us to call the mall on Monday to see what they could do. So I did. They simply told me that I shouldn't have worn sandals on the escalator and told me to calm down and they would go find the report and call me back later in the week. They never once apologized or offered to at least pay for my lost shoe... I went back and took pics on my phone of the missing part... You all wouldn't believe it... Wish I could post the pictures!

BOTTOM LINE-----Minnesota doesn't have a law regarding the inspections of escalators... even with all of the stories of kids losing their feet and toes here in Minnesota...That's unacceptable!