Interesting that the other fan death 20 years ago occurred in the same way. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3349003 NEW YORK -- A man attending a New York Mets game with his family lost his balance on an escalator and fell two stories to his death, police said. Antonio Nararainsami, 36, and several relatives, including his two young daughters, were leaving the stadium at the end of Tuesday night's game against the Washington Nationals when he fell in a section below the left field stands and landed on a concrete floor. Nararainsami, a Guyanese native who lived in Brooklyn, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead half an hour later. Kevin Prashad, a cousin who attended the game, said Nararainsami was walking down the escalator, which wasn't moving, and was holding the hand rail when he "lost his footing." The Mets said in a statement that they had been "advised of a tragic accident that resulted in the death of a fan." They said team officials and police were investigating. "Our deepest and heartfelt condolences go out to the fan's family," the team's statement said. The death of Nararainsami, who was wearing a Mets cap when he fell, appeared to be an accident, and no charges had been filed, police said. Nararainsami installed heating and air conditioning systems for a living, loved sports and was the captain of a local cricket club, his relatives said. His wife, pregnant with their third child, had stayed home while he attended the game. Nararainsami's death wasn't the first at Shea. In 1985, a 21-year-old Yonkers man fell 100 feet from an escalator and was killed. This is the Mets' last season at Shea Stadium. A new stadium, Citi Field, is scheduled to open next year. Tuesday's game, which the Mets won 6-0, had celebrated Jackie Robinson Day, the 61st anniversary of when the Brooklyn Dodgers legend broke major league baseball's color barrier. Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Those escalators can be damn dangerous when they are not moving. Those aren't your normal steps. Their awkward to go down. At first, I thought this guy was goofing and trying to ride the rail down but fell over the side or something. But, this was just a terrible accident. If an escalator isn't moving and you are older, then I would think twice about trying to go down it. You bust your butt and you could be in for a tough tumble. I'm not quite sure how he fell two stories. I guess I would have to see the escalator system for myself to picture it. It wouldn't surprise me if a lawsuit came out of this. People shouldn't be allowed on escalators which aren't moving/working. They should be roped off and an alternate route taken IMO.
Nope...haven't been there. I always picture escalators kind of like at the mall...they go down one flight and then you do a 180 and go down another flight. Obviously, that isn't the case here.
You might understand if you had been on it. It takes you directly, in one straight shot, from the main concourse all the way up to the upper concourse, which is at the same height as the very last row of seats at the top of the arena. 40, maybe 50 feet?
From an architect's perspective an escalator doesn't meet code for required vertical exiting but that only applies in an emergency. Escalators aren't bound by the same code requirements for landings so are definately not as safe as stairs but have the same hand rail height requirement but as far as I know aren't bound by the same guardrail requirements. I'm not aware of code restrictions on allowing a non-moving escalator to be used and I'm guessing a move like that would be strongly resisted as that would mean that anytime an escalator broke down you would have to direct people to the fire stairs.
I am really confused to how he fell down... Did he fall forward and tumbled down the stairs? I assume there are people in front of him so he wouldn't fall that far? It is sad regardless.
Man, this story freaks me out. I went to the Rockets game last week against Seattle. After the game, we are leaving, in the middle of a big crowd and so I decide to hold my 4 yr. old in the middle of all the mess. Of course, holding him, I couldn't grab the hand rail for the escalator and then I mis-stepped getting on it. I was able to regain my balance enough to not fall but I could only imagine how bad it could have been had I fallen with him in my arms.
or how about you just get on the escalator and dont move. just let it take you up...and the escalator at shea doesnt even compare to the one at TC
I guess he just tripped or slipped and his momentum was enough to take him over the edge since the rail isn't that high.
I just cracked up thinking about when I volunteered with a non-profit, an illegal immigrant told me a coyote took their group to a mall and they practiced riding an escalator so that they wouldn't look suspicious at the El Paso Airport (flying out to different destinations).
That sux...What a horrible way to go...They had an escalator that wasn't working roped off at MMP this past Sunday...
Here's a picture from part way up the Toyota Center escalator. The ceiling you see in the picture is probably about 10 feet lower than the floor of the level that the escalator takes you to.
An escalator can never break: it can only become stairs. You would never see an Escalator Temporarily Out Of Order sign, just Escalator Temporarily Stairs.
