The tragic incident that led to a 3-year-old girl, identified as A.W., losing four fingers on an escalator at a Bellaire H-E-B store has resulted in a million-dollar lawsuit filed against both H-E-B and TK Elevator Corporation. The family's attorney, the national civil rights figure Ben Crump, put forth the lawsuit with the claim that negligence on the part of the supermarket and the elevator company led to the horrific accident. According to the lawsuit, the young girl stumbled and, as she tried to regain her balance, her fingers became caught in a gap between the steps of the moving escalator and the elevator skirt, the Houston Chronicle reports.

The case brought to light not only the failure of the escalator's safety mechanisms but also claims that H-E-B promptly returned the escalator to service before a proper investigation could be conducted, which the lawsuit alleges resulted in the destruction of valuable evidence. "This tragic incident has forever altered the life of a 3-year-old child and her family," Ben Crump said in a statement. "The defendants failed in their basic duty to keep customers safe, and their negligence resulted in a young child losing her fingers in a horrific incident that could have been avoided with proper maintenance. This was completely preventable," KWTX reports.

The severity of the injury left the child permanently disabled, raising urgent questions about the safety measures in place at such retail locations. In response to the incident and the ensuing lawsuit, H-E-B officials shared an email statement expressing their commitment to customer safety and their plans to support the affected family through this ordeal, "At H-E-B, we are deeply committed to our customers and their safety. This was an incredibly unfortunate accident that we are taking seriously. Although, based on our current investigation of this matter, the escalator was serviced by a third-party company, we will do our best to support the family through this difficult time." TK Elevator has not immediately responded to requests for comment on the matter, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The family is seeking over $1 million in damages to cover the injuries, emotional distress, and ongoing medical needs caused by an event labeled preventable by their attorney. Meanwhile, the lawsuit echoes Crump's sentiment ensuring such tragedies are averted and that corporations uphold their duty to ensure the well-being of their patrons, a responsibility that in this case, the Williams family alleges was severely neglected.