Tag Archives: escalator

Atlanta, GA – Two firefighters injured battling escalator blaze at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

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Two firefighters suffered minor injuries on Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013, around 5:30 a.m., while battling a blaze on an escalator that caught fire at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The fire broke out around 5:20 a.m., and was contained by 6:30 a.m., according to airport officials. Initial reports indicated that the firefighters may have slipped on water that was being used to fight the fire. At the time of writing there was no indication of what caused the escalator to catch fire, although NBC 11 Alive reported that officials believed the fire started in the escalator’s motor. Both firefighters were treated for their injuries at the scene. Watch the report by NBC 11 Alive below:

Sources reporting this story include:

Denver, CO – Broncos fan severely injured after falling from escalator at Sports Authority Field

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An adult male was severely injured on August 30, 2013, around 9:30p.m. local time, when he apparently fell from an escalator at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado, the home stadium of the Denver Broncos. The stadium was hosting a pre-season game between the Broncos and the Arizona Cardinals when the incident occurred. Denver police released few details about the man, the extent of his injuries, or whether alcohol may have been a factor. However police did confirm that they were investigating the incident as an accident, and that the victim was conscious and breathing when he was transported to a nearby hospital after suffering serious injuries from his fall. ABC7, The Denver Channel, reported that eyewitnesses stated that the man may have suffered from a medical condition which caused him to lose his balance.

Sources reporting this story include:

Paramus, NJ – 8 year-old girl suffers severe injuries after leg entrapped in Garden State Plaza escalator

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An 8-year-old girl was severely injured after her leg became entrapped by an escalator at the Westfield Garden State Plaza, located in Paramus, New Jersey, around 11:45 a.m. on the morning of Friday, August 16, 2013. The girl and her mother boarded the escalator on the lower level, headed towards the first floor. As they reached the top landing, the girl’s right foot apparently became entrapped between two steps, subsequently causing her leg to become entrapped as well. A nearby bystander reacted quickly and activated the emergency stop switch, which stopped the escalator, but the girl remained entrapped for some time until fire, police, and nearby bystanders were able to disassemble the landing to free the girl. No information was available the the time of publication that indicated what factors contributed to the incident, but we will continue to update this story as new information becomes available.

Watch this early report from ABC7 Eyewitness News:

According to escalator registration records published by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, there are 96 escalators registered in Paramus, New Jersey, and 20 of them are located at the Garden State Plaza. The mall was originally constructed in 1957, although it was not immediately clear what code year was applicable to these escalators. The Garden State Plaza is also notably home to what is reportedly the shortest escalator in the United States, and possibly the western hemisphere. The elevator photography community on YouTube has posted numerous videos of these escalators, including this video below, via YouTube user ih8thyssenkrupp:

Sources reporting this story include:

Harlem, NY – Woman suffers seizure on escalator, injured after hair became entrapped

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A 32-year old woman was injured on July 3, 2013, around 3:30 p.m., after she passed out on an escalator at the subway station at 125th Street and Broadway in Harlem, NY. The victim is reported to have suffered from an unspecified medical condition and was suspected to have suffered a seizure moments before losing consciousness. She then dropped to the still-moving steps, at which point her hair became entrapped between the steps, causing her to lose a significant amount of hair and possibly a portion of her scalp. A nearby police officer reportedly activated the emergency stop button shortly after, and FDNY emergency medical technicians were able to free the woman upon arrival. The victim also suffered cuts to her face, legs, and arms, and was transported to St. Luke’s Hospital for further treatment.

View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.

Sources reporting the story included:

Duluth, MN – 4 small children, 1 woman injured in escalator pileup

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Four young children and woman suffered injuries on Wednesday, June 26, 2013, around 1:05 p.m., after an escalator accident occurred at the Wells Fargo building in downtown Duluth, Minnesota. According to local news reports, a group of 20 children and their daycare providers boarded the escalator traveling downwards. One of the children was apparently afraid to step off the escalator, creating a pileup behind them. Further complicating the situation, the children were apparently tied together or otherwise connected to a rope, causing a “chain reaction” when the pileup began. One of the children suffered a severe ankle injury; the remaining four were treated for minor cuts and bruises.

Remember to step off immediately when reaching the end of an escalator. Never let feet “slide off” the end of an escalator; step over the comb teeth, and move away from the end of an escalator so that others behind you have room to exit.

Sources reporting this story include:

San Antonio, TX – 20 injured after convention center escalator suddenly reverses, dumps passengers

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On Wednesday, May 15, 2013, around 1 p.m., approximately 20 people suffered mostly minor injuries when an escalator at Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, malfunctioned and suddenly reversed direction uncontrollably, causing passengers to be dumped at the bottom landing. Fourteen of the victims were hospitalized; the remaining six were treated at the scene. The convention center was hosting a group of Dish Network employees at the time of the incident.

According to eyewitnesses, the employees had just concluded their lunch break and were returning to their meeting when the incident occurred. Eyewitnesses also described seeing an escalator mechanic working on the escalator before the incident occurred.

A spokesperson for the City of San Antonio revealed that KONE is the contractor responsible for the escalators are the convention center. The spokesperson also confirmed that KONE was on-site during the event which is “normal procedure during large conventions,” however they did not confirm eyewitness reports of KONE servicing the incident escalator earlier that day.

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations is investigating the incident but has not released any statement regarding the cause. A follow-up story by KENS5 San Antonio noted that numerous lawsuits had already been filed against the city.

Sources reporting this incident include:

The story was widely reported by local television news stations. Where available, the reports are embedded below.

NBC News 4 San Antonio spoke with a number of eyewitnesses for their evening broadcast:

An early report from KSAT-TV, an ABC affiliate in San Antonio:

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KENS5 San Antonio evening report:

Schaumburg, IL – Three elderly victims suffer minor injuries in escalator mishap

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According to the Chicago Tribune, two women and one man, all in their 80s, suffered cuts and abrasions during an escalator accident that occurred at 11:08 a.m., Saturday, March 23, 2013 in the Nordstrom department store at the Woodfield Mall.

For an unknown reason, not currently attributed to any mechanical malfunction, the male victim started to fall and attempted to grab his wife to regain his balance. Unfortunately, his wife then fell and toppled onto the third victim. All three victims were taken to a nearby hospital and treated for minor injuries. A police spokesperson stated that none of the injuries were life threatening, and that police had reviewed surveillance video of the incident. Read the full story at ChicagoTribune.com, published March 23, 2013.

Assuming that there was no specific mechanical deficiency that led to these injuries, this incident highlights the everyday dangers of riding an escalator. Persons with limited mobility, or other conditions that could lead to loss of balance (such as vertigo), should avoid escalators and use elevators instead.

Although many able-bodied people are able to safely ride escalators (and even walk on them while they are in motion without incident), trip and fall accidents associated with escalators are quite common, and unfortunately, they are often more severe than trip and fall accidents involving stairs due to the nature of escalators. Escalators often have sharp, collapsing steps with higher step heights than a comparable staircase. This can also make it difficult for a falling rider to right themselves.

A study published in 2008 found that nearly 40,000 adults age 65 and older were injured on escalators between 1991 and 2005. However, the author of the study also noted that escalator-related injuries still comprised only a small proportion of the total number of injuries to older adults.

Upper West Side, NY – One-year old boy trips, get hand stuck in escalator

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According to WABC 7 Eyewitness News, a 21-month old boy got his hand stuck between two steps in an escalator after he tripped and fell around 10:48a.m., Friday, February 22, 2013. The boy was riding with an adult on the escalator, located inside a Barnes & Noble bookstore at the corner of Broadway and 82nd Street when the incident occurred. According to an unnamed employee, the escalator automatically stopped shortly after the boy’s hand became entrapped. The boy was able to free himself shortly thereafter. Firefighters arrived and treated the boy at the scene for a hand laceration. Read the full story published February 22, 2013.

This young boy was incredibly fortunate in that the step-upthrust safety device apparently functioned as designed. The step-upthrust device automatically stops an escalator when an obstruction is detected in the lower-curve area, which would cause a step to be elevated higher than usual, which in turn would cause an impact with the comb plates at the bottom landing. Although the child did suffer a cut to his hand, his injuries might have been far more severe or even fatal if the escalator had continued to run while his hand was entrapped. This incident also highlights an important but basic elevator safety rule: always hold a child’s hand when riding an escalator. Never allow children to play around or run on escalators.

Atlanta, GA – Worker gets ladder, foot trapped in mall escalator

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According to WSB-TV Channel 2 Atlanta, a sprinkler technician was injured around 10 a.m., Thursday, February 21, 2013, when a ladder he was carrying became wedged in an escalator, creating a gap wide enough for his foot to enter and become entrapped. The man and a partner were transporting the ladder from the P2 level to the P3 level when the ladder became wedged between two of the steps, creating a gap between the step and the skirt panel. The victim’s foot was entrapped in the escalator’s skirt for approximately one hour, until fire fighters responded and used heavy equipment and a “cribbing” technique to provide a gap wide enough to allow the man’s foot to be pulled back out. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital. Read the fully story by WSB-TV2, published February 21, 2013.

Although newer escalators are equipped with numerous safety devices that are intended to prevent the escalator from continuing to run when an object jams the steps or skirt panels, public records indicate that the shopping center, Phipps PLaza, a Simon property, was built in 1969, which suggests that the escalator may have only been required to comply with a 1960s edition of the ASME A17.1, Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators. This also incident highlights the dangers of using escalators to transport materials. When riding an escalator, always pay careful attention for untied shoe laces, loose fitting clothing, and especially rubber “Crocs” type sandals, as these can all become entrapped between steps, leading to escalator accidents similar to these.

Jersey City, NJ – Malfunctioning PATH escalator runs backwards, injuring six

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Multiple news sources are reporting that at around 9 a.m. Monday, January 7, 2013, an escalator at the Exchange Place PATH station malfunctioned while numerous commuters were on board, leading to several injuries.

The incident, which was partially caught on video and posted to YouTube (below), depicts one of the station’s escalators, which was running upwards, suddenly reversed direction, as passengers piled up at the bottom and others tried to walk upwards to avoid getting dumped at the bottom landing. At least one man in the video appeared to have jumped on and clung to the balustrade between the escalators.

Reports regarding the number of victims were inconsistent, but it appears that between four and six victims suffered mostly minor injuries such as cuts and bruises, although at least one victim was hospitalized. The end of the YouTube video appears to depict a woman screaming in pain, although she was not seen on screen and the extent of her injuries remained unclear. Also, it appears that at some point after the malfunction started, the escalator stopped. It was not clear whether it was stopped because the malfunction tripped a built-in safety device or if someone activated the emergency stop switch.

The station has three 150-foot long escalators that provide access to and from the subway platform 75-feet below street level. The escalators are maintained by Schindler.

The station was badly flooded during Hurricane Sandy, although it was not known whether flood damage may have been a factor in this incident. One of the escalators was still out of service at the time of the incident, which now leaves the station with one functioning escalator.

Read the reports, published December 7, 2013, by the Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, and My FOX NY.