suddenly speeds up. >> the most significant sensory input was a sound, like a thunking sound. i still remember very clearly after hearing that sound the escalator started to speed up along with a realization of horror that it was suddenly accelerating. >> you're a father with young kids on a runaway escalator. what split second decision should you make? a, grab your kids and jump over the side railing. b, grab your kids and run back up the escalator to the top. in this case, going against the flow is a no-go as runaway escalators follow gravity down. >> the speed is great enough in a runaway situation that you really can't run up the stairs.