Fans recall escalator malfunction that injured 11 people after Brewers game
Updated on Sunday, June 30 at 9:25 p.m.:
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- More baseball fans are sharing their experiences after a terrifying escalator malfunction Saturday night, June 29, at American Family Field that caused at least 11 injuries.
Six people were hospitalized after a two-story escalator picked up significant speed, piling people at the bottom.
"The escalator jolted forward a second, and there was a loud boom," said Luke Stuckmeyer, Chicago broadcaster.
Prominent Chicago broadcaster Luke Stuckmeyer was leaving Saturday's game with colleagues.
Morgan Kath was with her fiancée.
"It made a really loud screech," said Kath. "And then all of a sudden it sped up really fast. I'd say probably two- to three-times the speed it was normally going."
Stuckmeyer was able to hop off just in time.
"Heard screams, and just turned around and everybody was just piling up. It came crashing down like a roller coaster," said Stuckmeyer.
But other people were unable to avoid it.
"I started to see people piling up at the bottom. Literally falling over because they could not jump off and get out of the way quick enough," said Kath.
Kath said she started to form a plan for when and how she would jump off to avoid crashing into the pile of bodies.
Stuckmeyer said the injuries he saw were significant.
"A teenage boy with a broken leg. There were at least two or three people in neck braces. One girl at the bottom, I didn't know what to do for her. She was pale and she was blood head to toe," said Stuckmeyer.
Eventually, a security guard was able to hit the emergency stop button before on-sight physician and EMS personnel quickly got to the scene.
"The first thing I thought when I walked over there is 'I'm going to find somebody unresponsive.' I was terrified the worst had happened," said Stuckmeyer.
Ambulances were seen leaving the park Saturday evening.
Officially, the Brewers said 11 people were injured, and six of them were hospitalized.
But Stuckmeyer said the number of injured is likely higher, because some people declined medical help, opting to go home instead.
On Sunday, the Brewers said all escalators in the park had been inspected and cleared.
The one that malfunctioned was used Sunday, but some fans told us they're hesitant to use any escalators now.
"Don't want it to happen again. That's pretty scary," said a fan at Sunday's game.
"Horrible accident. We're going to be only doing stairs today," said another fan.
"Horrible accident. We're going to be only doing stairs today," said a third fan.
"My mom warned me about it this morning. Just told me to stay off the escalators."
Kath and Stuckmeyer both avoided injury.
"I was really lucky," said Kath.
But some of Stuckmeyer's colleagues weren't as lucky; one was discharged from the hospital, another needs an MRI on his knee.
"You could have lost lives at that game," said Stuckmeyer.
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Several people were injured after an escalator malfunction at Saturday’s Brewers vs. Cubs game, according to a statement released by the Brewers.
It says after the game concluded, an escalator with fans on it from the Terrace to the Loge Level “malfunctioned, resulting in an increased downward speed.”
11 people were reportedly injured, five of whom were treated at the ballpark and six were taken to hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the statement.
CBS 58 reached out to the Brewers regarding Sunday's game.
"We are in the process of reaching out to those who were injured in yesterday’s incident to check on their condition and express our best wishes for a complete and speedy recovery. All of the escalators in the ballpark were thoroughly inspected overnight by our service provider and were declared safe for use today. Escalators are inspected regularly as part of our service agreement and preventative maintenance is performed as scheduled," said Leslie Stachowiak, senior director of strategic communications with the Brewers.