A woman fell to her death from an escalator at New York’s World Trade Center Oculus while attempting to retrieve her twin sister’s hat, authorities say.
The twin sisters had taken the escalator sometime after 5 a.m. on Saturday, February 11, when one of the girls dropped her hat. Witnesses say the other girl went to grab the hat but fell over the side of the escalator and fell 30 feet to the floor below, the New York Post reports.
The accident victim was taken in critical condition to Bellevue Hospital but later died from her injuries. The victim’s twin sister was also treated for trauma.
The Oculus opened about a year ago after many delays and cost overruns, with a final price tag of about $3.9 billion. The long hall consisting of a striking white marble interior serves as a transit hub between New Jersey’s PATH trains and New York City’s subways. The Oculus also contains many shops and eateries and is becoming a tourist attraction.
The massive project began after Muslim extremists destroyed the original PATH station during the terror attacks on September 11, 2001. It took nearly 16 years to complete.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.