Surveillance video of the L'Enfant escalator collapse from October of 2010 has been obtained by NBC4.
The video shows the chaotic moments when brakes failed on the crowded escalator, sending riders flying. The escalator was packed with passengers after the Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart "Rally to Restore Sanity" event on the National Mall. Several injured in the accident required hospitalization.
NBC4 received the video through a Freedom of Information Act request.
"It was just very chaotic," said Leslie Tufarolo, who was on the escalator when it collapsed. "I am surprised that more people did not get hurt."
Following the accident, Metro admitted that poor maintenance led to the accident. Metro released the following statement regarding the surveillance video:
"Metro has inspected the braking systems of all of its escalators, increased the frequency of the break tests and [taken] more steps to improve quality control and compliance with maintenance standards."
Tufarolo said that after experiencing the collapse, she still does not feel comfortable riding Metro escalators. "I don' t think they are doing enough," she told NBC4. "I think they probably should have done maintenance before this happened, instead of trying to fix it after the fact."
