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Martine Powers
Reporter covering the subway network and transportation issues
A man died after his motorized wheelchair fell into a escalator at Columbia Heights metro station Wednesday afternoon, the transit agency said.
Metro spokeswoman Sherri Ly said the man was using a wheelchair in the "escalator" up. She said that he had almost reached the peak when he and the chair rocked back down.
Doug Buchanan, spokesman for the fire center, said that the man had been found unconscious at the bottom of the escalator and had been transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries . He died later.
Ly said Metro will not reveal her name, pending notification from her next of kin. His age is not known.
The elevator at the station was working properly at the time, said Ly.
"A review of the camera footage revealed that the man had waited 10 to 15 seconds for the elevator, which was in use at that time, before being diverted to the aircraft. escalator, "said Ly. "On reaching the top of the escalator, the man and wheelchair fell back and found themselves down."
The video footage of the incident is not aired, said Ly.
"Many passers-by and the station manager immediately provided their help until the arrival of the doctor," she said. "The man was taken to a local hospital where he was declared dead."
Of the major transit systems in the country, Metro is considered one of the easiest to navigate for people with disabilities. Because its train stations have been built in recent decades – compared to New York or Boston train stations, some of which date back to a century – they are all equipped with elevators allowing people using wheelchairs to use the system. And according to Metro's latest performance report, elevator availability for the last fiscal year, from July 2017 to June 2018, was 97%.
Nevertheless, people with disabilities said that these figures did not reflect their experience and became frustrated when they repeatedly encountered lifts that were not working properly.
Some have suggested on social media that Wednesday's incident may have presumed that he had encountered another broken down elevator.
"Incredibly tragic," Anthony LaMesa wrote on Twitter. "This man was probably so used to #WMATA lifts that he just assumed it would never come."
A similar incident occurred in the "T" of Boston in 2012, when a motorized wheelchair woman attempted to use an escalator to get to the top level of a station. Red Line. Her wheelchair was only a few feet off the ground before she rocked, causing her to sink several times before being helped by other passengers and a station employee who stopped the stairs. rolling.
The woman was not seriously injured, according to the Boston Globe.
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