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New MBTA Video Shows Man Trapped on Escalator for About 20 Minutes Before Help Arrived

The footage has put the MBTA’s emergency response under renewed review.

Overview

  • The surveillance footage, released this week, shows Steven McCluskey falling at Davis Station on February 27th and lying trapped as commuters pass for roughly 20 minutes until a T employee hits the emergency stop.
  • Somerville firefighters reported he was unresponsive with clothing jammed in the steps, gave Narcan, cut a shirt tightening around his neck, and performed CPR before regaining a pulse and rushing him to Massachusetts General Hospital.
  • McCluskey, 40, remained in a coma and died on March 9, according to police reports and his obituary.
  • The MBTA called the case a terrible accident and stressed that riders can press the red STOP buttons at the top and bottom of each escalator and then call 911.
  • The Middlesex District Attorney is investigating, with the cause and manner of death still pending, as McCluskey’s family seeks accountability and escalator experts criticize the apparent delay in response.