Overview
- A 40-year-old man, Steven McCluskey, became trapped after falling on a Davis Square escalator on February 27 when his clothing lodged in the machine and constricted his airway.
- The Massachusetts medical examiner ruled McCluskey died of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy following asphyxia by strangulation, meaning lack of blood and oxygen to the brain from being strangled by his clothes.
- Station surveillance released to reporters shows McCluskey lying trapped for about 18 to 20 minutes while several passengers passed and the escalator was not stopped until roughly 5:21 a.m., with medics arriving about two minutes later.
- Somerville firefighters cut the constricting shirt, gave Narcan, performed multiple rounds of CPR and briefly restored a pulse before McCluskey was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on March 9.
- Public records show more than 250 escalator-related injuries on the MBTA since early 2025 and the ruling has prompted a Department of Public Utilities probe, MBTA safety messages in stations, and a corrective-action report about fatality reporting that could change oversight and station procedures.