Mall of America, Sea Life found not at fault for 6-year-old’s fall off an escalator

A jury considering a negligence lawsuit against Mall of America and Sea Life in a 6-year-old’s fall from an escalator found that neither organization was responsible.

Instead, court documents out of Hennepin County Court showed that a jury determined that negligence for the fall fell onto Eric Smith, the child’s father.

The lawsuit, filed in 2022, was a personal injury case for a 2019 incident in which the 6-year-old was visiting Mall of America with his father. The lawsuit says the child had grasped the handrail of an escalator, which pulled his body over the well-way railing and caused him to fall 30 feet off the ground when he lost his grip.

The fall caused serious injuries, according to the lawsuit, including brain damage and injury to the boy’s endocrine system, as well as injuries that will reportedly require lifelong medical expenses.

The lawsuit argued that both Sea Life and Mall of America failed in their duties to properly secure the escalators by not having barriers in place to prevent a fall.

However, a jury disagreed with the lawsuit, finding Smith 100% negligent for the incident.