Pittsburgh International Airport
PITTSBURGH – A moving walkway at Pittsburgh International Airport is to blame for a man’s injury, a recent lawsuit says, despite the fact his own shoelaces played a part.
Edward Brown of Pittsburgh sued the Allegheny County Airport Authority and Schindler Elevator Corp. this month in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. He says he was all set for a winter flight to Florida but he fell on the final moving walkway.
“At the time Plaintiff was stepping off the walkway, the shoelace of his left shoe entered the comb area of the moving walkway, passed beneath the combs, and became trapped in the end of the moving walkway,” the lawsuit says.
As his shoelace was pulled into the walkway, his left leg was stuck. When it ripped, he fell forward and landed on his right elbow.
His suit says some of the teeth of the comb plate were damaged or missing, creating a slot for his shoelace. He suffered rotator cuff injuries requiring surgical repair, plus a biceps rupture, the suit says.
“He has been permanently scarred and disfigured,” the suit says. “He has and will continue in the future to suffer physical and emotional pain, distress, suffering, torment, anguish, stress and anxiety.”
Erin Rudert of Ainsman Levine represents the plaintiff.
One moving walkway lawsuit in California resulted in a $7.25 million verdict for a woman who says stepping off it onto a stationary platform caused her to lose her balance and fall.
A Delta pilot sued TK Elevator Corp. in 2024, claiming his shoe was swallowed by the walkway at Denver International Airport because the comb plate was missing teeth. The case remains pending.
