After an escalator malfunction left at least 24 people injured at a MARTA station following a Beyoncé concert earlier this month, a state investigation found that missing parts on the escalator and an overload of passengers were the likely causes of the accident.
On July 15, as people were leaving Mercedes-Benz Stadium after Beyoncé’s final show in Atlanta for the “Cowboy Carter” tour, an escalator at the Vine City MARTA station abruptly sped up and stopped, resulting in multiple people needing medical attention.
According to a report from the state’s Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, the agency that oversees escalator and elevator inspections, during the agency’s accident investigation the day after the incident, drive belts were found to be missing from the motors of the escalator.
“Three drive belts were noted during (the) investigation to be missing from the top drive motor, and one belt was missing from the bottom drive motor,” wrote state safety inspector Jerrold Miller wrote in the investigation report. “It is unknown if the belts were missing at the time of the incident or if the belts came off the pulley due to the incident.”
“Due to the high passenger volume and the motor drive belts missing, this would have caused an over-normal operating speed condition leading to the injuries.”
The report notes that the escalator’s operating weight capacity is 8000 pounds.
Stephany Fisher, director of communications at MARTA, declined to give a comment about the investigation report due to the incident being “subject to legal claims.”
Read More: Beyoncé Fans Injured Leaving Final ‘Cowboy Carter’ Show in Atlanta
Prior to the release of the report, MARTA officials and the manufacturer of the escalator, Schindler, claimed that the incident was caused by a stampede of people on the escalator, not because there was something wrong with the equipment itself.
“There was a panicked stampede of people that overcrowded and overloaded the unit, causing its multi-layered, code required safety system to activate. This is not an issue so long as the escalator is being used normally,” said Kim LaCava, spokesperson for Schindler, in an email to Capital B Atlanta on July 17.
Fisher said that MARTA police on the scene reported that a person began screaming and running, causing a stampede on the escalator.
In security footage obtained by Atlanta News First, a video shows numerous people standing on the escalator. No one in the video is running or pushing past one another.
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Many people who were at the station claim that there was no stampede on the escalator.
D’Maia Devoe, who was present at the time of the incident, told Capital B Atlanta that while there was commotion outside the station gates, no stampede occurred on the escalator.
“Those of us that were closer to the escalator, we weren’t near the chaos that was on the other end of the train station,” said Devoe.
Devoe, 29, said the aftermath of the crash caused multiple people to pile on top of one another, saying it looked like “dead bodies” laying on the ground.
“The escalator sped up and then stopped, and you could hear everybody scream and you could hear the crash,” said Devoe.
Devoe walked away from the situation physically unharmed, but she said two of her friends were injured in the incident. Her friend, Jaylen Black, was left with a broken ankle, and another friend in their group ended up with a concussion.
Black spoke publicly on social media about the incident, calling out MARTA and sharing she thought she “was going to die.”
“This was not a stampede. No one was pushing each other and everyone was patient and not rowdy after that incredible show. The facts: the escalator at Vine City MARTA malfunctioned after the Beyoncé concert and sped out of control while packed with people,” said Black in an Instagram post.
“I was thrown into a pile, crushed under bodies, unable to move, barely able to breathe. My ankle was broken and ligaments protruding — and people kept falling on top of us. EMTs made me a priority transport to the hospital because I got the worst of it.”
Black did not respond to Capital B Atlanta’s requests for comment, but Devoe said her friend is focusing on “recovery and litigation.”
Fisher with MARTA said that the weight capacity for the escalator is approximately 9,100 pounds, and LaCava with Schindler said that if the escalator is “overloaded” the brakes will kick in as part of the machine’s safety features.
In the video footage, the machine speeds up for about five to eight seconds before it comes to a stop.
Devoe said that MARTA should have had more staff helping to manage the flow of people inside the station. She said there was no staff present helping to manage the amount of people on the escalators.
“I would hope that there would be a lot more crowd control. It’s millions of people that they’re promoting to use MARTA; there needs to be crowd control there. There was a bomb squad truck outside. We’re prepared for a bomb, but why are they not prepared for the millions of people that are here?” said Devoe.
Fisher said MARTA staff were metering the crowd outside the station, at the fare gates, and on the platform, but there was not a staff member positioned at the top of the escalator. She said there was a divider located at the escalator to “help meter the crowd,” but it was “pushed over in the rush.”
“MARTA will continue to provide support staff to assist during large events and look at areas for improvement including stationing someone at all escalators,” said Fisher.
Two days after the incident, MARTA’s CEO, Collie Greenwood, announced he was retiring early from the transit organization. Fisher said that the incident had nothing to do with Greenwood’s decision to step down from his position, and said his early retirement was due to “delays in the immigration process” as he is a Canadian citizen.
