Five people were injured in an escalator accident in January 2013 at the Exchange Place PATH station in Jersey City, New Jersey after an ascending escalator abruptly reversed its direction during rush hour. According to a Port Authority spokesman, the five people suffered non-life-threatening injuries that consisted mostly of bumps, scrapes and bruises. However, some of the injured people complained of neck and back pain, and three of them were taken to the hospital as a precaution.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey responded to the accident by closing one of the PATH station’s entrances as maintenance crews repaired the malfunctioning escalator. Investigators speculated that the accident occurred as a result of damage from Hurricane Sandy. In a statement, the Port Authority said, “PATH officials are looking into the cause of today’s escalator incident at Exchange Place, including whether Superstorm Sandy related effects played a role.”
Brian Lafond, 23, suffered cuts to his leg and wrists as a result of being on the malfunctioning escalator. He said, “My heart was racing. I was terrified. All of a sudden, the escalator suddenly changed direction. It didn’t stop, it just started going right down and people screamed. I instantly jumped onto the side railing between the two escalators and I could see people piling on top of each other at the bottom.”
Nick Lukish, 33, was on the escalator at the time of the incident and suffered cuts and bruises to his shins. He stated, “There was a stampede at the base of the escalator. People started to panic and yell and scream, and I saw some people jump over to the down side of the escalator, so I jumped.”
Michael Nochimson was also on the escalator and held onto the side rail in panic as other passengers screamed. He said, “You see me basically on the rail. I jumped onto the rail and was holding on while the escalator slipped backwards and picked up momentum.”
Carolyn Baxter, who witnessed the entire incident, said, “I saw people scrambling and there were also people in the dividers that crawled up onto the divider between the escalators. I was pretty scared because I didn’t know what was going on.”
Safety and escalator expert Patrick Carrajot said that people should hang on to the escalator’s railing if an accident occurs, especially if the escalator reverses direction abruptly. He said, “The problem is when one person or two people fall. That’s when you get the broken bones, or the scrapes, or whatever types of injuries you’re going to get.”
Website Resource: 5 Hurt In Escalator Accident At Jersey City PATH Station, CBS News, January 7, 2013
