it ran through her hands and basically burned some of the skin on her hand. >> four other passengers are treated for minor injuries. but could these accidents have been stopped sooner? true or false? pushing the emergency stop button is the best way to halt a runaway escalator. the answer is false. the problem is a sudden accelerating escalator is what often what happens when the belt of the stairs detach from the motor and gear box. the weight of the riders pushes the belt and stairs down. >> there's a stop at each end which stops the motor, but if the escalator equipment has become disconnected from the drive, the button is not going to do anything. >> you see escalators are more than just moving stairs. they're multiton moving machines that should be treated with the same level of respect as an automobile. to avoid injury or even death,