CHGO reporter and podcaster among those injured in escalator accident at American Family Field

An escalator accident injured several people, including reporters and podcasters from CHGO Sports, following Saturday’s game between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

Greg Braggs Jr., a CHGO Sports producer and CHGO Bears podcaster, shared on X that he broke his femur. He also described in detail what happened.

“The whole escalator was shaking and everyone got scared, and then seconds later the whole thing gave way and turned into a roller coaster that came off the tracks,” Braggs explained. “People piled on as we all went down. Some elderly people got badly hurt and trampled. An elderly lady was right in front of me, so I tried to hold her up when we got to the bottom and we both got completely knocked over by the people behind us. A couple of people went right through my knee.”

Someone broke their femur.

The whole escalator shook and everyone got scared, and then seconds later the whole thing gave way and turned into a rollercoaster that went off the tracks. People piled on top of each other as we all hurtled down.

Some elderly people were… https://t.co/fypQeuH2qX

— Greg Braggs Jr. (@GBraggsJr23) June 30, 2024

Nicholas Moreano, a Bears reporter for CHGO, posted a picture of himself icing his injured knee. In another post, he said, “Greg and I may be on the injured list for a while.”

Thanks @AmFamField pic.twitter.com/XVI8mxEn1m

– Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) June 30, 2024

“As long as it’s not Caleb’s leg.” — @GBraggsJr23

Greg and I may be on IR for a while.

– Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) June 30, 2024

Braggs also explained what he believed was the cause of the problem: there was no one there to prevent the crowding on the escalator.

“The reason was because there was no one working there monitoring the escalator and they only allowed a reasonable number of people on it at one time. Faaaaar too much weight. It just gave way. It’s not a single-story escalator in a mall. It’s longer and steeper. Frankly, the stadium needs to be held accountable for not implementing a limit on the number of people on the escalator at one time. They’re lucky no one died.”

The reason for this was that there was no one working to supervise the escalator and only allowed a reasonable number of people to use it at the same time.

Faaaaar too much weight. It just gave way. It’s not a one-story escalator in a shopping mall. It’s longer and steeper than…

— Greg Braggs Jr. (@GBraggsJr23) June 30, 2024

The Brewers also issued a statement acknowledging the incident and thanking the medical personnel on site for their quick response.”

“Following the conclusion of today’s game, there was a malfunction in an escalator at American Family Field that transported fans from the stands to the box, resulting in increased speed. Eleven people 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.”

A statement from the Milwaukee Brewers: pic.twitter.com/JBZA2E5SPm

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) June 30, 2024

Luke Stuckmeyer, a longtime Chicago sportscaster, exited the escalator shortly before the accident. He described how frightening it was, but also explained that it could have been much worse.

I was on the escalator when it made its first jolt at the Cubs game and got off just before it gave way. All I’m saying is, a lot more people could have been taken to the hospital and it was a scary, bloody scene. The word triage was used. It looks harmless here. pic.twitter.com/ZUmdYl2BSb

– Luke Stuckmeyer (@LukeStuckmeyer) June 30, 2024

“I was on the escalator when it made the first jolt at the Cubs game and got off just before it gave way,” Stuckmeyer said. “All I’m saying is, a lot more people could have been taken to the hospital and it was a scary, bloody scene. The word triage was used. Here it looks harmless.”

(Image credit: CHGO Cubs on X)