NEWSLETTER
Apparently there was a terrifying incident at American Family Field in Milwaukee after today’s Cubs-Brewers game. One of the escalators at the ballpark malfunctioned, and eleven people were injured.
The Brewers acknowledged the incident in a statement after the game:
If the escalator was loaded with people, I really can’t imagine how scary that must’ve been to experience. Especially on the kinds of escalators that tend to be pretty big and pretty long. Hopefully everyone involved will ultimately be OK, and there are no further issues at the facility going forward.
Greg Braggs Jr. of CHGO was on the escalator when the malfunction happened, and he shared that he was among the injured:
Good know that he is going to be all right, and ultimately that’s what you want for everyone involved.
I do wonder what the impact is going to be at American Family Field, both from a functional perspective and from a legal one. We’ve reached out to our partners at Ankin Law for their thoughts on the latter, and we’ll update when we hear back. (UPDATE: “Fortunately someone pushed the emergency stop button and EMS professionals were on site so the matter was not worse,” said Howard Ankin in hearing about American Family Field. “You never hear of escalators malfunctioning because they don’t. Investigation into the lack of maintenance of this escalator I’m sure will be taking place immediately.”)
On the functional side, though, I just wonder how this happened. Mechanical failure? Human failure? Was it at all preventable?
Obviously these ballparks move tens of thousands of people in and through and out every single day, and this kind of incident is exceedingly rare. Thank goodness it wasn’t worse, but I’m sure the Brewers are scrambling to ensure it doesn’t happen again. What exactly will that entail? Is it going to impact tomorrow’s game against the Cubs? Can they “fix” this problem that quickly, and will fans feel safe?
It’s potentially a serious problem in a number of ways that go beyond what happened this evening. Heck, I wonder whether Major League Baseball is going to offer thoughts on this, since I’m sure they want to be able to stand behind the facilities and operations of their teams. Fan safety should be paramount, after all.
Another wrinkle? You may recall that the ballpark is publicly-owned, and the State of Wisconsin LITERALLY JUST approved a massive financial package to pay for upgrades at the facility. Is this just proof that it was necessary? Or does it make taxpayers feel even worse?
I expect we’re going to hear more about this, especially since the Cubs are playing there tomorrow. I hope everyone who goes is safe, and everyone involved in today’s incident will recover well.
