Eleven people were injured at Saturday’s Brewers game when an escalator malfunctioned at American Family Field in Milwaukee, leaving fans “plummeting” down to the floor.
Here’s what we know about what happened.
When did the escalator accident happen at the Brewers game?
The incident happened at the conclusion of Saturday’s Brewers game against the Chicago Cubs. The game ended around 5:45 p.m.
How many people were injured in the escalator accident after the Brewers game at American Family Field?
11.
Six people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Five people were treated at the scene.
Reports on social media indicate that multiple ambulances were called to the stadium.
What have the Brewers said about the escalator accident?
The team issued a statement at 7:24 p.m. Saturday.
An escalator at the stadium moving fans from the Terrace to Loge Level “malfunctioned,” resulting in “an increased downward speed,” the team said.
Onsite physician and EMS were on the scene “immediately.”
“We are appreciative of their quick response,” the team wrote.
Where did the escalator malfunction happen in the Brewers stadium?
The Terrace Level is the 400 sections and the Loge is the 200s.
The malfunction occurred on the escalator between sections 427-425, according to a witness who talked with the Journal Sentinel Saturday night. These sections are on the third base side in the upper level.
Witness of escalator accident at the Brewers game: People were ‘plummeting down’
Kaylee Klein, who was at the game with her boyfriend and his family and friends, witnessed the frightening scene.
In an interview with the Journal Sentinel Saturday night, Klein said she went over to get on the escalator but it was “such a long line” and that at least 20 people were on it at the time, by her estimate. That’s when they heard “a screeching sound.”
She said the escalator then picked up speed to about 10 to 15 miles per hour, she recalled to the Journal Sentinel.
“We just saw fans like just plummeting down basically,” Klein said.
Klein said someone then clicked the emergency stop button. After taking the stairs to the second floor, she saw people injured.
Has an escalator malfunction happened at the Brewers stadium before?
Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said he doesn’t recall “any such emergencies” like an escalator malfunction at the stadium.
Brewers stadium history, upgrades at American Family Field
The ballpark’s primary owner is the Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District, a state-created agency which leases American Family Field to the Brewers. The district is responsible for major capital improvements.
Upgrades to the stadium’s 10 escalators, nine elevators and 10 wheelchair lifts are among the long-term improvements and renovations to be financed through $500 million in public funding. The Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers approved that funding package last year.
That includes $365.8 million from the state and $67.5 million each from the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County to pay for that work over nearly 30 years.
Escalators and elevators, collectively known as “vertical transportation,” typically have a 20- to 25-year lifespan. American Family Field opened in 2001.
That’s according to a report completed in 2022 by Venue Solutions Group, a firm hired by the Brewers.
That reported detailed $428 million in expected stadium improvements and renovations over 18 years, including $16 million for vertical transportation.
The escalators “appear to be operating reliably,” the report said.
“If proactive annual clean downs are performed on each of these units regularly, they should operate reliably for another three to five years,” it said.
The report recommended upgrading or replacing escalators and elevators within five years.
“Modernization is required when reliable performance can no longer be provided, or when the risk of liability is excessive due to (building) code changes,” the report said.
What was the attendance at Saturday’s Brewers game?
42,238
Brewers schedule
The Brewers wrap up their six-game homestand on Sunday for the series finale against the Cubs. After Sunday’s game they head out on the road for a seven-game West Coast trip to face the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers before returning home to American Family Field on Tuesday, July 9.
Alec Johnson contributed to this report
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