A man who died after getting caught in an escalator at an MBTA station in Somerville, Massachusetts, succumbed to brain injuries caused by being strangled by his clothing, according to a death certificate obtained by NBC10 Boston Investigators.

Incident Details

The medical examiner determined Steven McCluskey, 40, died from “hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy following asphyxia by strangulation.” Dr. Knarik Arkun, the director of neuropathology and autopsy service at Tufts Medical Center, explained the ruling means McCluskey suffered from a lack of blood and oxygen to his brain.

McCluskey stepped onto the escalator at the Davis Square station just before 5 a.m. on Feb. 27. At the bottom of the escalator, McCluskey lost his balance and fell. His clothing got caught in the escalator, preventing him from freeing himself.

Response and Investigation

Surveillance video obtained by the NBC10 Boston Investigators showed a number of MBTA riders walked by, seemingly unaware McCluskey was in distress and being strangled by his clothing. The video revealed an MBTA employee did not respond to the scene and press the emergency stop button until more than 20 minutes had passed.

McCluskey’s sister, Shannon Flaherty, said, “Regardless of what his cause of death was, nobody should be there for 18 minutes, unconscious, being strangled by their own clothes, not able to yell for help.”

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, which oversees safety at the MBTA, has an ongoing investigation into McCluskey’s death. The agency did not learn about the incident until seeing the NBC10 Boston investigation.

Preventive Measures

In the wake of the NBC10 Boston investigation, the MBTA is now running public service awareness messages inside stations that warn riders about the danger of clothing getting caught in escalators and where to locate emergency stop buttons.

Original reporting: NBC10 Boston — read the source article.