Settlement Reached in Massachusetts Boy’s Escalator Death at Mall

The family of a 4-year-old Massachusetts boy killed in an escalator accident at a mall has reached a settlement in a negligence lawsuit.

Mark DiBona of Dudley fell from a second-floor escalator about 18 feet onto a display case below inside a department store at the Auburn Mall in March 2011 while shopping with family. He suffered head injuries and died the next day.

His parents sued the mall’s owner, the store, the escalator’s manufacture and the contractor that installed it, alleging the escalator was in “dangerous and defective” condition.

A lawyer for the boy’s parents, Laura and Eric DiBona, tells The Telegram & Gazette that the lawsuit was settled earlier this year but said terms were confidential.

The death led to a crackdown on escalator safety across the state.