“How, at a busy train station, does nobody stop, nobody see him?” the man’s grieving mother asked

A man died due to a freak escalator accident that was ignored by others.

Steven McCluskey was traveling to a subway platform at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)’s Davis Station in Somerville, Mass., when tragedy struck on Feb. 27, according to local outlets NBC 10 Boston and the Boston Globe.

Video captured of the incident shows McCluskey, 40, riding the escalator down at about 5 a.m. local time. As he approaches the bottom, the man stumbles and falls, and he can then be seen trapped at the end of the escalator for several minutes.

Steven McCluskey.
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Multiple people appear to ignore McCluskey and instead take the stairs, as some stop briefly to check on him. But it wasn’t until 22 minutes later that an MBTA worker finally helped McCluskey by pressing the emergency stop button on the escalator, NBC 10 reported.

According to the outlet, McCluskey’s clothing got trapped under the elevator and cut off the airway in his throat. When first responders arrived to provide aid, they found no pulse, and it took them another 30 minutes to free McCluskey from the escalator and transport him to the hospital.

The 40-year-old man died there ten days later, the local outlet reported.

The MBTA told PEOPLE in a statement, “This was a terrible accident.”

“It is important that the public knows that anyone can stop an escalator in an emergency by pressing the red button labeled ‘STOP’ at the top and bottom of each escalator,” the organization continued. “They should also then immediately call 911.”

“MBTA personnel respond swiftly to all emergencies and do everything they can to assist individuals and secure the situation,” the MBTA added.

MBTA General Manager Phil Eng told NBC 10, “Obviously, this is a tragedy.”

“Safety, reliability of the system, is paramount,” he continued, adding: “We certainly understand that this was an unfortunate incident for this gentleman, and his passing is something that is very disheartening.”

An MBTA inspector clocked in at 4:45 a.m., according to records obtained by NBC 10. Eng told the outlet that the employee had been going through a long checklist of items to prepare for the busy morning rush during the time of the incident.

After McCluskey was transported to the hospital, Eng said the affected escalator was inspected by MBTA workers, and it was returned to working order without any mechanical issues.

McCluskey’s sister, Shannon Flaherty, and his mother, Mary Flaherty, remembered him as someone who “loved building things” and “loved his children and loved being a dad.”

The pair told NBC 10 that they are continuing to search for answers in his death.

“Where was security?” the man’s mother asked. “Where were the red coats that are supposed to be on all the floors from the time it opens to the time it closes? How, at a busy train station, does nobody stop, nobody see him?”

The Somerville Police Department (SPD) did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Saturday, May 16.