This is absolutely terrifying!
Beyoncé‘s final night of her Cowboy Carter shows in Atlanta ended in horror for some of her Beyhive members when a STAMPEDE broke out! According to multiple local reports, after the singer’s concert ended at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a bunch of her fans took advantage of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) so they could get to their destinations. Everything was seemingly fine for a while, just super crowded in the Vine City station… but then all hell broke loose.
MARTA’s senior director of communications Stephany Fisher told People on Friday that chaos ensued in the early morning hours in the station:
“Just after midnight on Tuesday, July 15, 11 people leaving the Beyoncé concert at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta were injured on an escalator at Vine City Station. One person suffered a broken ankle, seven people were transported to the hospital with cuts and scrapes, and one person declined transport. Two people requested medical assistance after reaching their destinations.”
Conflicting reports from MARTA police say only nine people were injured, but either way, how horrible! But how did this all happen? According to Fisher, MARTA Police say someone randomly started freaking out:
“A person began screaming and running, causing a stampede on the escalator that caused it to temporarily speed up and then stop suddenly.”
Wild! But we can’t say we blame everyone for running. We mean, a crowded transit station and someone just starts screaming? In the age of mass shootings? So scary.
What makes the situation super sad, though, is according to what Fisher, acting Police Chief Scott Kreher, as well as MARTA CEO Rhonda Allen have all confirmed — the one who screamed was a little girl. A 10-year-old who had been frightened by a bug…
Fisher continued in her statement:
“MARTA Police on scene said there was a scream, and witnesses said the person who screamed was reacting to an insect. I believe there’s also video on TikTok of a woman claiming it was a 10-year-old relative who screamed when she saw a bug.”
Chief Kreher told 11Alive the bug was a “Palmetto bug” — the more genteel name some southerners have for a common cockroach. What an absolute disaster to come from something as simple as being scared of a roach…
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While speaking with Fox 5, student Jacobi Edwards who was there that night, said the failing escalator just added to all the terror. He recalled how it “just created a whole entire slide full of people”:
“It just started tumbling — people just tumbling on each other. It was crazy, it was chaotic.”
You can see some footage from the incident (below):
WTF!! Everything just started to… collapse?!
According to 11Alive, the escalator’s inspection sticker was due to expire next month, so it was definitely due for an inspection. However, the manufacturer Schindler told People the escalator was just under too much stress and that’s why it started to topple:
“As reported during yesterday’s MARTA Working Session, the escalator was inspected by state officials the morning following the incident and there was no indication of equipment malfunction; rather, preliminarily it appears that the escalator was overloaded beyond design capacity causing the unit to briefly accelerate and the brakes to engage as part of the unit’s multi-layered, code-required safety system.”
The company went on to add:
“As also indicated during the Working Session, prior to the incident, the escalator has undergone standard monthly maintenance with the most recent service taking place on July 10th, less than a week before the incident. The escalator was found to be fully compliant and performing as expected at that time. Again, we extend our sympathies to the persons injured and will continue to provide technical support and cooperate fully with any further investigative efforts.”
Just a horrifying situation for all those involved.
We’re glad there were no critical injuries and we hope everyone has a speedy recovery — but we just can’t imagine what went through these poor fans’ minds in that moment. We’re sending everyone positive vibes…
Reactions, Perezcious readers?
[Image via GRAMMYs/YouTube/MARTA Police]
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