This is what the escalator accident at Brewers felt like

How did it feel to stand on the escalator after the Brewers game at American Family Field on Saturday night when it malfunctioned and accelerated sharply, resulting in eleven injuries?

It started with a “big scramble” to get on the escalator, said Greg Braggs Jr., a producer at a Chicago sports media company who was among those injured in the incident.

About halfway down, “we were joking around with some Brewers fans, talking about the Bears and the Packers.” Suddenly, the entire escalator shook and made a loud noise that startled everyone, Braggs said.

“Then a second later, it just came off,” Braggs said. “Now you roll the thing down. At first it doesn’t go fast, but then it really picks up speed.”

Braggs saw the first wave of people falling on top of each other below. He noticed an elderly woman next to him and tried to lift her up when they reached the bottom, but they both crashed into the pile of people. Three people crashed into Braggs’ legs, injuring his knee.

He said at the time it felt like there were about 100 people down below, but the number was probably closer to 30. Braggs is thankful no one suffered serious injuries, and he didn’t see any small children on the escalator at the time.

Braggs said the incident looked and felt exactly like an escalator that went out of control in Rome in 2018, an incident that injured at least 20 people.

Kaylee Klein, who witnessed the incident, gave a similar description to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The escalator picked up speed and sent fans “tumbling down.” She reported a long line of at least 100 people waiting to get on the escalator.

Braggs said it was hard to say if maintenance or outdated equipment was the problem, but the “logical answer” was that there were too many people on the escalator. The Brewers typically have staff at the top of the escalators after games.

As Braggs left the stadium, his other interlocutors agreed that they could not recall seeing any staff member standing above trying to control the pace of the crowd or count people.

More:What we know about the Brewers escalator accident at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Braggs said he didn’t know about renovation plans at American Family Field until yesterday — this was probably his third Brewers game. But he saw Brewers fans commenting on X, formerly Twitter, that the escalators at the stadium were frequently out of order.

Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said Saturday he could not recall “any such emergencies” such as an escalator malfunction in the past at American Family Field.

When asked how he hopes the Brewers will respond to the incident, Braggs said he was disappointed with the team’s statement. While the Brewers thanked first responders, they could have shown more compassion for the injured or apologized for the incident, Braggs said.

In a statement last night, Tyler Barnes, the Brewers’ senior VP of communications and affiliate operations, said:

“Following the conclusion of today’s game, there was a malfunction in an escalator at American Family Field that transported fans from the grandstand to the box level, resulting in increased speed. Eleven people were injured in the incident, five of whom were treated at the stadium and six others were transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. Our on-site doctor and emergency medical services were immediately on the scene and we are grateful for their quick response.”

In a phone interview Sunday morning, Braggs said he couldn’t bend his leg and was on his way to the emergency room — he went home instead of staying overnight at a Milwaukee hospital. Braggs said he and his wife are considering options, such as hiring a personal injury attorney.

“I think everyone, whether they were hurt or not, thinks about it. It was a traumatic experience. Even if I wasn’t hurt, I would think about it,” Braggs said. “I think ultimately the biggest feeling is that I’m just grateful.”

Alec Johnson contributed to this report.

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