Joshua Nair
A terrifying simulation has revealed how a man died after getting his shirt caught in an escalator.
You've heard of all the warnings around escalators and the dangers they can pose to users. Each year in the US, around 10,000 people are injured by escalators and have to seek hospital treatment, according to a 2013 study.
And for one man, his ride on an escalator proved fatal.
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On 14 October 2018, a 48-year-old man was choked to death and found unconscious at the top of a subway escalator in New York.
US media reported that the man was named Carlos Alvarez and that authorities were alerted of a man behaving oddly at the Intervale Station in Longwood, southwest Bronx.
After arriving at about 3.45am, they discovered his unconscious body at the top of the escalator, cut his shirt off him and rushed him to hospital, though he sadly wouldn't make it.
Alvarez had been choked to death after his shirt got caught between the steps, resulting in the neckline of his shirt restricting his breathing.
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It was then reported by WPIX cWPIX/Channel 11 via Sky that surveillance footage revealed the man trying desperately to free himself.
Now, a simulation depicting the tragedy has done the rounds on social media, showing exactly how the man may have passed away after falling on the escalator.
It's from none other than Zack D. Films, with the content creator known for his short, snappy and informative animations.
In this video, it's revealed how his shirt got caught in the escalator and how his shirt managed to choke him.
He explained that after falling and getting caught 'it pulled him along, causing the fabric to wrap tightly around his neck'.
"This caused his throat to close, cutting off his air supply. He struggled to take the shirt off, but the force of the escalator kept tightening it," the YouTuber said.
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He noted that it was 'too late' when responders got him to a hospital.
It was reported by the New York Post that an anonymous Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) worker labelled it as 'an accident' after 'somebody fell and went all the way up.'
Giovanni Fernandez was a witness of the event, and claimed that others in the station were trying to help the man.
"When I got off the train, I saw the guy stuck on the escalator," he recalled.
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Fernandez added: "A lot of people were surrounding him [and] he was at the top.
"I saw the blood [near his head]. His head was split open. All you see is this guy sprawled face down."
An MTA spokesman also told the publication at the time that while the incident was 'tragic and unusual', it was under investigation.