4 injured in escalator malfunction at Macy's in Bellevue
BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Four people suffered minor injuries when an escalator malfunctioned at Macy's at Bellevue Square on Thursday night.
The incident, which investigators described as "a mechanical failure," occurred at approximately 7:25 p.m.
"(It is) what I call a freak accident," said Robert Dallian of the Kemper Development Company, which manages the mall.
A witness told KOMO News she heard a loud sound followed by chaos near the escalator. When she went toward the noise, she saw that chunks of the escalator had fallen off.
Fire Lt. Troy Donlin said a man in his 30s suffered a minor injury. Three other people were transported for precautionary checks. They included a woman in her 30s and two 3-year-old children.
Donlin said investigators were still trying to piece together the incident.
"We're not sure how many people were on the escalator when the incident occurred, nor are we sure where they were on the escalator," he said. "Most of the damage is at the top of the escalator."
Nicole Johnson said the incident set off confusion among the crowd that had gathered for the Snowflake Lane celebration.
"There were hundreds of people around here, so it was just chaos of people just walking in, going back to their cars," she said.
The cause of the incident was not immediately clear. The escalator had been installed in 1982 and maintained regularly since by the company Schindler. The state escalator inspector had been alerted, and an investigation was expected.
The store remained open during the incident.
The incident, which investigators described as "a mechanical failure," occurred at approximately 7:25 p.m.
"(It is) what I call a freak accident," said Robert Dallian of the Kemper Development Company, which manages the mall.
A witness told KOMO News she heard a loud sound followed by chaos near the escalator. When she went toward the noise, she saw that chunks of the escalator had fallen off.
Fire Lt. Troy Donlin said a man in his 30s suffered a minor injury. Three other people were transported for precautionary checks. They included a woman in her 30s and two 3-year-old children.
Donlin said investigators were still trying to piece together the incident.
"We're not sure how many people were on the escalator when the incident occurred, nor are we sure where they were on the escalator," he said. "Most of the damage is at the top of the escalator."
Nicole Johnson said the incident set off confusion among the crowd that had gathered for the Snowflake Lane celebration.
"There were hundreds of people around here, so it was just chaos of people just walking in, going back to their cars," she said.
The cause of the incident was not immediately clear. The escalator had been installed in 1982 and maintained regularly since by the company Schindler. The state escalator inspector had been alerted, and an investigation was expected.
The store remained open during the incident.
Looks like Americans are getting too heavy for escalators now.
I always use the stairs at the Blazer games (Rose Garden), the escalators there seem to break all the time. It's a less crowded and much healthier way to go anyway, and the escalator goes down a chute/tunnel like the cattle in the slaughter house which is a bit creepy in itself! Brings back the memory of Soylent Green!
"We're not sure how many people were on the escalator when the incident occurred, nor are we sure where they were on the escalator," he said. "Most of the damage is at the top of the escalator."
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They don't have security camera footage? I thought stores like this had cameras recording everything.
Glad it haapened and i needs the money,,,
Lucky somebody didn't lose a foot in that mess.
Do we even have escalators in Oregon? Bellevue WA is a far distance from Oregon, isn't it? Who cares?Â
 @jpk Haven't been to Lloyd Center in a long while hey?
Nope!
 @jpk I think so much focus has been on WA over the past few weeks that all the reporters are trapped there. Willingly, most likely. lol.
 @jpk We have a Macy's, and it has an escalator. So this is relevant.
The cause isn't known?  Let me give the investigators a small clue: " The freakin' belt  broke and the mechanism kept on rollin'!"  There ya go!  Any more questions? Â
Okay, call it wear-and-tear.
Chaos, give me a break.  It's apparent that people in this day and age don't have a clue what chaos is.  The mentality of this is closing in on  total ignorance.Â
 @boomer They're describing the reaction of "hundreds" of people in Macy's. So yeah, it probably was pretty "chaotic".
I'm sure someone will see this as an opportunity to file a lawsuit given how sue happy people are in our society. Â Ugh, hope for a speedy recovery. Â
Feel bad for the three year old's. As a child, I was certain I would get sucked in. Was afraid whenever I'd near the top or bottom. I was ready for the big leap over the ''big teeth'' long before the approach.
 @Lips ~  I never had a problem with escalators... what scared me were elevators, because they were closed in... I still don't like them...
Oh wow..! Â Don't think I've ever seen anything like this before..! Â Â Loved Photo #4, with the signs around the bottom of the escalator ~ "Maintenance"... yeah, I guess..! Â Â
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Seriously, though, that had to be really s-c-a-r-y for those folks on the escalator..! Â Hope the injured people will recover quickly..! Â :-)