Why do people who fall on escalators tumble over and over? I’ve seen several videos where young and old alike can’t seem to regain balance once it starts, also looks very dangerous.
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There is a lot of selection bias at work in your observations. Most healthy, reasonably coordinated people won’t have trouble keeping their balance on an escalator. Of those who do trip or stumble the likely result is bumping their shin or skinning a knee. However if that is all that happens what do you think the chance is that someone would bother pulling security tapes and recording a video? How likely is that video to make it to you?
Instead the only videos that are likely to exist and make it into your view are those where someone tumbles on an escalator for an extended time. People sometimes fall down flights of stairs as well so it is hardly *unique* that such falls occur on escalators, but the impression that this is somehow common or that escalators are particularly dangerous in this regard is probably due to this selection bias.
The ground under them is moving and at a slope, and they have momentum moving them down.
Imagine someone trips on a hill. They were walking down the hill, so they had momentum in the direction of the fall, and gravity is pulling them down the hill. They will slide, but eventually be able to orient themselves to get back up. But also, the hill is experiencing an earthquake, so getting balanced again is harder now.
On an escalator, their movement is restricted by the railings, so orienting themselves is harder, and the ground is moving in such a way that it keeps them tumbling downward
When you fall and then try to steady yourself, you’re looking for a steady stable surface, like the floor, to reset your balance. When the surface you need to try and steady yourself with is itself moving, it disrupts your sense of balance and can lead to another fall.
How many people have you seen regain their balance falling down a regular staircase? The only reason they stop is because they reach the bottom, which is virtually much farther on an escalator.
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