A Massachusetts man died after a tragic accident on an escalator while several passengers passed by him without stopping to help, as shown in new surveillance images released by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).
The victim was identified as Steven McCluskey, 40, a carpenter and father of two who suffered the accident on February 27 at the Davis station in Somerville, shortly before 5:00 a.m., according to the Boston Globe.
The recordings show that McCluskey lost his balance as he reached the bottom of the escalator and fell just before exiting it. His coat became caught in the machinery, causing the fabric to tighten around his neck.
More than a dozen people passed by him without helping
The video shows McCluskey desperately trying to free himself while trying to take off his coat and move out of the mechanism. However, More than a dozen people walked past him without intervening.
One of the passengers even remained watching him for a few seconds before turning around and leaving.
As the minutes passed, the man stopped moving and remained motionless on the escalator.
As reported by the Boston Globe, It took more than 20 minutes before an employee arrived on the scene and stopped the ladder from operating.
When Somerville police arrived at the station, they found McCluskey trapped on the wrong part of the escalator.
The police report indicated that he was “unconscious, bare-chested, and with his clothing firmly trapped between the steps.”
Firefighters administered a dose of Narcan and medical teams performed CPR until he was breathing again.
He was later transferred to the Massachusetts General Clinic, where He remained in a coma for ten days before dying on March 9.
Family calls for MBTA to take responsibility
The victim’s sister, Shannon Flaherty, testified that McCluskey had faced addiction issues in recent years, but said he did everything he could to stay present for his loved ones.
“He loved being a father to his two children,” the family recalled in the man’s obituary.
After the tragedy, The MBTA described the incident as an “unpleasant accident.” and recalled that anyone can stop an escalator by pressing the red emergency button located at both ends of the equipment.
The agency also asked the public to immediately call 911 in any emergency.
However, McCluskey’s family is demanding that transportation authorities acknowledge possible failures in the response to the incident.
“I want them to accept that they failed him,” Shannon Flaherty said. “That’s the famous thing that I don’t want to leave unsaid.”
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office continues to investigate the exact causes of death.
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