A viral video that shows dozens of people tripping over the exact same subway step has caused the New York City’s Metro Transit Authority to take action overnight.
Filmmaker Dean Peterson released the video Wednesday, presumably after tripping over the 10th stair of Brooklyn’s 36 Street Station one too many times. During the 1:27 video, no fewer than a dozen people trip over the same stair, sometimes in tandem.
“There’s something very unique about my subway station,” Peterson wrote as an introduction.
“I imagine people have been hospitalized from this step,” Najork commented. “It would be amazing if this video forced the MTA to act.”
The video was released less than a day ago, but by Wednesday evening commenters noted the MTA has already taken action.
“At any rate, I saw the stairs were caution-taped off earlier this evening. Coincidence…?” Jess Goodwin commented.
It is no coincidence, according to NBC New York. The outlet reports that, after journalists started calling the MTA, the organization sent a team to block off the staircase to prepare for repairs.
It’s an unexpected outcome for the Peterson, who told NBC New York he created the video not to inspire change, but to document a phenomenon.
“My girlfriend and I would walk up all the time, and we would always trip,” he said. “We just thought we were kind of klutzy. But then I kind of noticed that other people were doing it, too.”
Photo via Dean Peterson