Massachusetts dad dies after getting stuck in escalator as passers-by refuse to render aid

A Massachusetts father died after becoming trapped in an escalator at a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority station while bystanders walked past and ignored him.

40-year-old Steven McCluskey was fatally injured after getting stuck at the MBTA’s Davis Station in Somerville on February 27. McCluskey appeared to have lost his balance and fallen at the bottom of the escalator, causing his clothing to become caught.

Surveillance footage obtained by NBC 10 Boston showed the man attempting to free himself as his legs moved frantically. One bystander briefly tried to help him before walking away.

The video showed McCluskey continued to struggle until he became motionless. Roughly a dozen people walked past him, some glancing briefly and others appearing not to notice him at all. 18 minutes passed until someone called 911.

Moments later, an MBTA employee arrived and pressed the emergency stop button on the escalator. It took the employee a total of 22 minutes to make contact with him.

“[The MBTA] breached that duty. If somebody had knowledge of it, that should’ve been acted upon it immediately,” said escalator expert Robert Cotton, according to NBC 10.

When first responders arrived, McCuskey had no pulse, and his throat was constricted because of how tightly his clothes were pulled into the escalator. The skin on his back was also pulled in.

Rescuers took 30 minutes to free him, and he regained a pulse. He was taken to the hospital and fell into a coma, dying 10 days later.

A spokesperson for the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office said an investigation is ongoing. The MBTA said the death was a “terrible accident,” adding, “MBTA personnel respond swiftly to all emergencies and do everything they can to assist individuals and secure the situation.”