Newly released security video shows the final moments of a 40-year-old man who died in a freak escalator accident at a subway station in the United States.
The victim, Steven McCluskey, was at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Davis Station in Somerville when the incident occurred.
According to reports from CBS News and NBC 10, the father of two was heading down to the platform around 5 am when he tripped at the landing and became trapped beneath the escalator machinery.
In the footage seen by TNX Africa, security cameras show McCluskey struggling at the base of the escalator for several minutes as commuters pass by.
Some people appear to walk past without stopping, others briefly look on, while a number opt to take the stairs instead.
It reportedly took about 22 minutes before an MBTA employee activated the emergency shut-off switch to stop the escalator.
Authorities said McCluskey’s clothing became caught in the machinery, leading to asphyxiation. Emergency responders arrived after his heart had stopped. It then took rescuers about 30 minutes to remove him from the escalator before rushing him to the hospital, where he died 10 days later.
MBTA General Manager Phil Eng told NBC 10, “Obviously, this is a tragedy. Safety and reliability of the system are paramount. We certainly understand that this was an unfortunate incident for this gentleman, and his passing is very disheartening.”
The victim’s mother, Mary Flaherty, also raised concerns over the response at the station, telling the outlet, “Where was security? Where were the red coats that are supposed to be on all the floors from the time it opens to the time it closes? How, at a busy train station, does nobody stop, nobody see him?”
The incident has triggered widespread reaction on social media, with users expressing shock at the delayed response and the fact that bystanders did not intervene.