Eight people were taken to hospital Thursday morning after an accident on an escalator at Toronto's Union Station, police said.

Most were treated for cuts and bruises, but one woman suffered a serious spinal injury.

The Union Station escalator, seen through wall windows, was cordoned off while police investigated an accident that happened Thursday morning.
(Nancy Westaway/CBC)

Toronto police were uncertain about what exactly happened. At first, they reported that the escalator malfunctioned, jerking suddenly and sending people tumbling.

But they later said the accident could have started when one person at the top fell, knocking down others in a chain reaction, or someone could have even pressed the stop button.

It happened on a downward escalator leading to GO platforms 2 and 3A.

"We just heard quite a few kids screaming. At least we thought it was kids," said Wendy Kosid, who sells towels and other items at tables across from the escalator.

Kosid said the station was so packed with people she couldn't see what was going on.

Toronto police, GO Transit and the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA), which regulates escalators, are investigating the accident.

TSSA spokesman David Lisle couldn't speak about the incident because it is still under investigation, but said 91 per cent of all accidents happen because of rider behaviour or negligence.

He pointed out that in 2005, there were 476 incidents involving escalators, with six resulting in serious injury. 

His advice to escalator riders is to hold the handrail, face forward and be courteous to other riders.

Many escalator riders carry bags, coffee cups and even heavier objects like strollers while on moving escalators, but some caution that such a juggling act takes away attention from the machinery below.

"Escalators can be extremely dangerous," said Leslie Schroeder, spokeswoman for the Elevator and Escalator Safety Foundation of Canada. "They are heavy machinery.

"They require vigilance and can be dangerous if not ridden properly."

She notes that next week marks the beginning of the group's annual escalator safety campaign.

Toronto's often crowded Union Station serves as the city's transit hub, with thousands of commuters taking trains, subways and buses every day.

The grand Front Street West building sees 150,000 people pass through the regional transit operator GO Transit concourse alone, according to statistics from the company.