aristotled

While riding up a long escalator today at MSP there was a flight attendant 3 steps up from me and a 40ish lady and her very heavy 70ish mother about 3 steps up from the flight attendant with perhaps a dozen people down below me...suddenly the heavy lady loses her balance and falls backward toward the FA! At first I thought she was going to cannon ball down the escalator and take us all out like bowling pins! But she landed on her back on those nasty sharp step edges, her head at the FA's feet and her feet up 3 steps. She couldn't get up and we were heading to the upper landing! I could not get up to her fast enough and her daughter and the FA didn't seem to know what to do and then she was at the top landing and slid onto it. The FA didn't step over her or help her up and plowed into her with her body and luggage and the daughter was now on her knees trying unsuccessfully to get her mom up and the luggage and people were in a big heap 3 steps above me! I could just see us all piling up and the people beneath me ending up on top of us and broken bones and the like! So I shoved the FA hard and she flew over the fallen woman and I jumped over her and set my luggage aside and up righted the fallen lady avoiding a disaster! I asked her if she was alright ... she was disoriented but said she was ok. I know she has contusions on her back side from those sharp step edges! Whew! Rethinking positioning myself on those escalators!

zkzkz

At what point did you hit the emergency stop?

Escalators can be dangerous. More commonly people get to the end, step off and stop dead waiting for people coming up or down behind them to pile into them. I normally leave two or three steps in front of me just in case.

Google online you can find infrequent but consistent stories of people being maimed or even killed on escalators.

manneca

I was waiting to board a cruise ship in China and the holding area was very small. You went up the escalators to register and then back downstairs. People were entering the building where the escalators stopped. The building became so full that people on the down escalator didn't have any space to go and were falling and bunching up. I was a ways away on the upper level people watching. When I saw what was happening, I started yelling at people not to get on. They looked at me like I was a crazy lady. Finally someone got to the stop button and stopped it. It was awful. There is just nothing you can do, people keep coming and falling on top of each other. (I imagine by the time OP got to the top there was no way to find and push the stop button. They aren't usually in obvious places.)

aristotled

I was not in a position to hit the emergency stop.. I was presented with the pile up partially up the escalator and had to remove people from the immediate landing to avoid a huge disaster. It was a very successful solution to a potentially disastrous outcome. I will youtube escalator issues... sounds horrible.. will give me more food for thought, thanks.

lazard

Reminds me of a similar situation that happened to me in Hong Kong last year. A family of 4 (husband, wife, kid, grandma) was a couple steps ahead of me on an escalator at Hong Kong Station. All of a sudden the grandma loses her balance, falls backwards, and starts to tumble down the escalator taking the kid with her. They landed on their backs and luckily I was able to react quick enough and prevent their heads from splitting open on the edge of the steps.

aristotled

Wow! That sounds awful! Hope there were no broken bones!

Way to go!

ChrL

I am surprised at how few emergency stop buttons the escalators have in the USA and how many of them are hidden behind a perspex panel.

The London Underground handles this well by having massive stop buttons at regular intervals on the escalators at handrail height as well as floor level at the end.

tmorse6570

That's wise. I've heard of people getting shoe laces caught and being dragged, so I keep my feet away from the sides. Then there was this horrible accident in China.

ft101

I got caught out by these panels at LGW a few years ago. Similar incident to the OP, but only a few steps from the bottom and the lady sliding backwards hitting her head on every step.

I was just passing by and tried to hit the e-stop, but it took three hits and bloody knuckles before things stopped.

ajGoes

I accidentally discovered that at least one airport escalator had a hidden emergency shut-off when I wheeled my rollaboard into the rising bottom step a lot more vigorously than I intended. The escalator stopped dead.

Loren Pechtel

The emergency stops are at the ends of the escalators--not an option for someone on it.

enviroian

Where did the woman go? Was she okay I wonder.

AA_ORDlady

I had a frightening experience at ATL on the giant two story escalators at the rental car pick up. A man with an umbrella stroller with infant, roll aboard and toddler got on the escalator ahead of me. I was focused on following signs, etc. and did not notice the precarious situation until halfway up the escalator.

It got worse. He allowed the 2-3 year old little girl (ahead of umbrella stroller) to SIT on the escalator stair! I was way below but once I looked up I was horrified. Thankfully her clothing did not get caught at the top-and she sat on the step until she was dumped off. As a mom of 6--I NEVER put a stroller on an escalator. Especially while juggling a bag and another child!
Since then--I use the elevator in ATL.

DenverBrian

Um, did you read the summary description or any of the comments?

muji

I have never noticed an emergency off button.
There is one visible in this clip: