After an accident involving an MBTA escalator, a dog owner from Somerville, Massachusetts, is sharing a warning for commuters who like to take their pets on public transit.
Joel Tenenbaum reached out to the NBC10 Boston Investigators when he saw our series of reports about Steven McCluskey, a 40-year-old father of two kids, who died after getting caught in an escalator at the MBTA station in Davis Square.
Tenenbaum said he realized the impact of increased public awareness when he watched how, months later, a good Samaritan pressed the emergency stop button and helped a woman who was trapped in the very same escalator.
The man who hit the emergency stop button when a woman became trapped in an escalator knew what to do after seeing the NBC10 Boston Investigators’ report on a man’s death from injuries he suffered at the exact same location.
That is why the owner of a greyhound named Turner decided to spread the word about the dangers of escalators for four-legged companions.
During an afternoon walk with Turner around their Somerville neighborhood, Tenenbaum told NBC10 Boston how the pair are regular commuters at the Sullivan station on the Orange Line.
Tenenbaum said his dog had been on escalators “hundreds of times.”
“It had never occurred to me it would be an issue,” he said.
However, that changed in November when they were riding the escalator on their way home. Just as they were about to disembark, Tenenbaum said he heard his dog let out a yelp.
The greyhound’s paw was caught where the steps disappear under the teeth at the top of the escalator.
“I reach over, I quickly pull him out,” Tenenbaum said. “There was just an instant urgency for a need to help my poor dog in his suffering.”
People in Somerville came together to pay their respects to Steven McCluskey, who died after being stuck in an escalator at the Davis Square MBTA station.
Turner was bleeding as other commuters and MBTA employees gathered around. Tenenbaum rushed his dog to an emergency veterinarian.
After getting stitched up, Turner had to spend time recovering with a cone on his head and bandage on his injured paw.
“We went through his insurance deductible real fast,” Tenenbaum said.
Turner made a full recovery and is now back on all fours, enjoying his daily walks.
Tenenbaum figured his dog wasn’t alone. He was right.
The NBC10 Boston Investigators found an incident last year when a pet owner suffered a hand injury when trying to free their dog’s leg from an escalator at the Alewife station, according to data obtained via a public records request.
The family of Steven McCluskey is demanding accountability after his death at Davis Station in Somerville.
Last October, the Cambridge Fire Department posted about rescuing a small dog with both back paws caught in an escalator at the Harvard stop on the Red Line. One firefighter was bitten during the extrication, according to the post.
The Cambridge Fire Department also shared a photo on social media of firefighters rescuing a dog named Taco back in 2000.
“[Escalators] certainly make me pretty nervous,” said Dr. Kelsea Studer, an emergency veterinarian and assistant clinical professor at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.
Studer said dogs’ nails, paws and hair can get caught in escalators. The veterinarian has seen injuries that require surgery or even an amputation.
If stairs or elevators are not an option, Studer said pet owners should carry their dogs on escalators, or at least guide them on entry and exit points to avoid where they can get paws entrapped.
“The recommendation from me would be to try to avoid [escalators] if possible,” Studer said.
Tenenbaum said his mindset has shifted about escalators, a piece of machinery he previously viewed as a mundane part of his daily commute.
“People don’t realize that their pets can wind up getting quite painful and expensive injuries,” he said.
