October 9, 2009 - Escalator Malfunction Leaves 13 Hurt

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The St. Louis Fire Department said 13 people were hurt at Scottrade Center when an escalator malfunctioned, causing several steps to collapse into one another.

Fire department spokesman Capt. Bob Keuss said none of the injuries suffered in Thursday's accident was serious with only five of the victims being taken to local hospitals, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Friday.

Witnesses to the accident in the wake of a St. Louis Blues game said the down escalator at the Scottrade Center appeared to suddenly speed up.

Keuss said for unspecified reasons, the escalator's side rails collapsed at the bottom along with four stairs, causing the injuries.

Sherry Hunt, senior office support assistant for Missouri's elevator safety unit said that the Scottrade Center's escalators were last inspected in August.

"They didn't have any violations," Hunt said of the escalators, which were originally installed between 1993 and 1996.

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