Denver Stadium Escalator Glitch Is Investigated

Escalators at Coors Field were shut down Thursday after an apparent malfunction the night before sent hundreds of baseball fans tumbling three stories, causing 31 injuries.

“Our No. 1 concern is for our guests who were injured,” Colorado Rockies President Keli McGregor said during a news conference.

Witnesses said the steep escalator was jammed with fans leaving the game and fireworks show about 10:15 p.m. Wednesday when they heard a boom. Some said the escalator sped up for no reason, throwing people into a pile at the bottom. Others said it flattened like a slide. Of the 31 fans taken to medical centers, 23 were treated and released, and the others remained hospitalized -- most with broken bones and bruises. None of the injuries was life-threatening, officials said.

Kevin Kahn, vice president for ballpark operations, said a stadium escalator malfunctioned May 24, stopping suddenly and causing people to fall forward. There were six injuries.

On Wednesday, he said, stadium monitors were stationed at the top and bottom of the escalators as usual to help keep an orderly flow of fans. But there was a fight at the top, which distracted the attention of the monitor.

Kahn said all of the Coors Field escalators had been inspected before the season began, but would be shut down until the cause of the accident is determined. Fans, including those attending a game Thursday night, would be shepherded up stairways and elevators, Kahn said.

Denver Assistant Fire Chief Larry Trujillo said that when department personnel examined the escalator, they found no broken gears or chains. “We were unable to find anything wrong; everything seemed to be intact,” he said.

Denver’s building inspector and technicians from the escalator company spent Thursday examining the moving stairway for problems. All other escalators at the stadium also will be inspected.