ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI-FOX2now.com) -
Repair crews spent Friday taking apart an escalator at Scottrade Center after several steps collapsed Thursday night causing at least a dozen Blues fans to tumble to the floor. Thousands were leaving the building after the hockey team lost its home opener when the accident occurred.
Five people were taken to local hospitals and treated and released. One was a child whose parents say is doing fine. Eight were treated on the scene.
As of 5 p.m. Friday a Missouri escalator safety inspector and experts from the maintenance firm, Schindler Elevator Company had not determined what caused the malfunction. The Missouri Fire Marshal Randy Cole whose office makes annual inspections of escalators confirmed all of those in operation at Scottrade Center passed the annual inspection in August. Staff from Schindler re-inspected the other four escalators in the building and pronounced them safe to use.
Law student Lizzie Nelson was on the escalator with several friends when the steps began collapsing. When that happened, she said the handrail seemed to speed up. "We ran off and we turned and looked and people right behind us were the ones that fell," Nelson said. "They started the pile and it was just a dominoes effect," she added.
Witness Kevin Kube described the escalator as "zooming" unusually fast. One man got his pants leg caught in a step. Firefighters and police called to the scene were able to free him.
Blues Enterprises CEO Peter McLoughlin said the escalators are checked on a regular basis. "This comes as a big surprise to us," he added. "The safety of our fans and customers is always first and most in our minds," McLoughlin promised. He added, "We're on top of the situation."
A Friday night concert with R & B performer Maxwell and a Saturday night Blues game will not be impacted by the broken escalator, McLoughlin said.
Five people were taken to local hospitals and treated and released. One was a child whose parents say is doing fine. Eight were treated on the scene.
As of 5 p.m. Friday a Missouri escalator safety inspector and experts from the maintenance firm, Schindler Elevator Company had not determined what caused the malfunction. The Missouri Fire Marshal Randy Cole whose office makes annual inspections of escalators confirmed all of those in operation at Scottrade Center passed the annual inspection in August. Staff from Schindler re-inspected the other four escalators in the building and pronounced them safe to use.
Law student Lizzie Nelson was on the escalator with several friends when the steps began collapsing. When that happened, she said the handrail seemed to speed up. "We ran off and we turned and looked and people right behind us were the ones that fell," Nelson said. "They started the pile and it was just a dominoes effect," she added.
Witness Kevin Kube described the escalator as "zooming" unusually fast. One man got his pants leg caught in a step. Firefighters and police called to the scene were able to free him.
Blues Enterprises CEO Peter McLoughlin said the escalators are checked on a regular basis. "This comes as a big surprise to us," he added. "The safety of our fans and customers is always first and most in our minds," McLoughlin promised. He added, "We're on top of the situation."
A Friday night concert with R & B performer Maxwell and a Saturday night Blues game will not be impacted by the broken escalator, McLoughlin said.
