Escape Room Becomes Public Safety Concern, Taipei City Government Considers Mandatory Insurance
A female employee at an escape room in Taipei nearly suffocated due to a hanging prop, leading the Taipei City Government to order the venue to cease operations and consider mandatory insurance for experiential facilities. This incident highlights public safety issues in facility design and labor safety management.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 11, 2026 at 18:02
- 🔍 Collected: May 11, 2026 at 18:32 (29 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 11, 2026 at 20:25 (1h 53m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Huang Li-yun, Taipei, 11th) A female employee at an escape room in Taipei nearly suffocated to death while playing a 'hanged ghost' role with a hanging prop. Her brother claimed that other employees might have also been choked unconscious, raising public safety concerns regarding facility safety design and labor safety management. The Taipei City Government has ordered the site to cease operations and is considering whether to mandate insurance for experiential venues.
Taipei police and fire department received a report at 7:41 PM on the 10th that a female employee surnamed Wu at an escape room in Xinyi District was accidentally caught in a hanging prop rope while portraying a 'hanged ghost'. She lost vital signs due to suffocation but was fortunately rescued after emergency medical treatment. Her family filed a lawsuit against the establishment, and after police questioning, the case was referred to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office for investigation on suspicion of negligent injury and negligent serious injury.
The Taipei City Department of Labor also stated today that it has ordered the business to cease operations, as necessary preventive measures were not taken at the site, and will impose fines according to regulations.
Ms. Wu's brother posted on the social media platform Threads that his sister is still in the intensive care unit. As the actual duration of brain hypoxia cannot yet be confirmed, the medical team still needs about three days to observe her subsequent condition.
He said that based on what he currently knows, this is not merely an "accidental scare" or "employee operational issue," but a public safety incident involving the safety design of the escape room venue and labor safety management. His sister had mentioned that some of the game's props might have been made by employees themselves, not professional safety props; he also saw that some prop photos showed real linen ropes being used, not prop ropes.
If such devices pose risks of strangulation, slipping, bearing weight, or instantaneous compression of the carotid artery, Mr. Wu believes that theoretically, there should be safety break-away designs, anti-strangulation designs, or be paired with qualified safety hanging equipment, protective gear, and monitoring mechanisms. Currently, he understands that there seem to be no surveillance cameras in the game master's (employee's) activity area, only in the customer experience area; and for an escape room game lasting about 90 minutes, it appears only one employee was assigned to manage the site.
"It seems that someone in a similar position had been choked unconscious in the past and later resigned," he said. He hopes that the competent authorities can investigate whether these matters are true and related to the current accident. This is a public safety issue that anyone could encounter, and escape rooms should not become a grey area with unclear safety regulations and responsibilities.
Mr. Wu stated that his greatest hope is for his sister to recover safely, and he also hopes that this incident will lead to a genuine emphasis on safety inspections, equipment standards, staffing, and emergency response systems in the escape room industry, to prevent future harm to others.
At the same time, he asks for respect regarding any comments that are self-proclaimed humorous, cold-blooded, or malicious speculation. For the family, this is not news material or a joke, but a person fighting for their life in the intensive care unit. Thank you for your concern, and please give his sister and family some respect.
As Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Chang Wen-chieh and fellow party member Chen Sheng-wen, a candidate for city councilor in Daan-Wenshan District, had previously held a press conference to discuss related issues, Chen Sheng-wen mentioned that he once encountered a broken acrylic glass during an escape room game in Taipei City, which resulted in a 9 cm shard piercing his waist and causing heavy bleeding. He believes there are more than 20 emerging establishments in Taipei City and hopes the Taipei City Government will comprehensively review and establish clear safety regulations.
Regarding the escape room accident, the Taipei City Department of Economic Development responded this afternoon that it is still collecting opinions and carefully studying whether to include experiential venues in the mandatory public accident liability insurance mechanism. (Editor: Li Shu-hua) 1150511
(Central News Agency reporter Huang Li-yun, Taipei, 11th) A female employee at an escape room in Taipei nearly suffocated to death while playing a 'hanged ghost' role with a hanging prop. Her brother claimed that other employees might have also been choked unconscious, raising public safety concerns regarding facility safety design and labor safety management. The Taipei City Government has ordered the site to cease operations and is considering whether to mandate insurance for experiential venues.
Taipei police and fire department received a report at 7:41 PM on the 10th that a female employee surnamed Wu at an escape room in Xinyi District was accidentally caught in a hanging prop rope while portraying a 'hanged ghost'. She lost vital signs due to suffocation but was fortunately rescued after emergency medical treatment. Her family filed a lawsuit against the establishment, and after police questioning, the case was referred to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office for investigation on suspicion of negligent injury and negligent serious injury.
The Taipei City Department of Labor also stated today that it has ordered the business to cease operations, as necessary preventive measures were not taken at the site, and will impose fines according to regulations.
Ms. Wu's brother posted on the social media platform Threads that his sister is still in the intensive care unit. As the actual duration of brain hypoxia cannot yet be confirmed, the medical team still needs about three days to observe her subsequent condition.
He said that based on what he currently knows, this is not merely an "accidental scare" or "employee operational issue," but a public safety incident involving the safety design of the escape room venue and labor safety management. His sister had mentioned that some of the game's props might have been made by employees themselves, not professional safety props; he also saw that some prop photos showed real linen ropes being used, not prop ropes.
If such devices pose risks of strangulation, slipping, bearing weight, or instantaneous compression of the carotid artery, Mr. Wu believes that theoretically, there should be safety break-away designs, anti-strangulation designs, or be paired with qualified safety hanging equipment, protective gear, and monitoring mechanisms. Currently, he understands that there seem to be no surveillance cameras in the game master's (employee's) activity area, only in the customer experience area; and for an escape room game lasting about 90 minutes, it appears only one employee was assigned to manage the site.
"It seems that someone in a similar position had been choked unconscious in the past and later resigned," he said. He hopes that the competent authorities can investigate whether these matters are true and related to the current accident. This is a public safety issue that anyone could encounter, and escape rooms should not become a grey area with unclear safety regulations and responsibilities.
Mr. Wu stated that his greatest hope is for his sister to recover safely, and he also hopes that this incident will lead to a genuine emphasis on safety inspections, equipment standards, staffing, and emergency response systems in the escape room industry, to prevent future harm to others.
At the same time, he asks for respect regarding any comments that are self-proclaimed humorous, cold-blooded, or malicious speculation. For the family, this is not news material or a joke, but a person fighting for their life in the intensive care unit. Thank you for your concern, and please give his sister and family some respect.
As Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Chang Wen-chieh and fellow party member Chen Sheng-wen, a candidate for city councilor in Daan-Wenshan District, had previously held a press conference to discuss related issues, Chen Sheng-wen mentioned that he once encountered a broken acrylic glass during an escape room game in Taipei City, which resulted in a 9 cm shard piercing his waist and causing heavy bleeding. He believes there are more than 20 emerging establishments in Taipei City and hopes the Taipei City Government will comprehensively review and establish clear safety regulations.
Regarding the escape room accident, the Taipei City Department of Economic Development responded this afternoon that it is still collecting opinions and carefully studying whether to include experiential venues in the mandatory public accident liability insurance mechanism. (Editor: Li Shu-hua) 1150511