PWRFL obtains settlement for death of victim killed by outdated bus-tunnel escalator.

PWRFL secured a settlement of one million dollars against King County and a confidential resolution against KONE Escalators for the death of Maurecio Bell in April of 2013.

Mr. Bell was killed when his leather coat was caught in the comb plate at the bottom of an escalator in the University Street bus tunnel. The escalator did not stop once Mr. Bell was entrapped and he was slowly strangled to death.

PWRFL filed suit against King County for negligently failing to update the escalator to include safety devices meant to prevent such an incident, and against KONE for negligent maintenance of the escalator and for building the escalator without those devices in the first place. King County and KONE blamed Mr. Bell, claiming that the entrapment was a result of his own drunkenness. After years of hard-fought litigation, King County finally agreed to pay the family of Mr. Bell one million dollars; KONE agreed to a confidential resolution.