I SURVIVED: I Know If I Rest That's Going To Be It

Summary

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Cold Case Files – “I SURVIVED: I Know If I Rest That's Going To Be It”

Date: November 15, 2025
Host: Paula Barros (A&E / PodcastOne)

Episode Overview

This episode features three extraordinarily harrowing first-person survival stories:

• Terri, a pregnant mother, is brutally attacked by her ex-husband and left for dead in a freezing garbage can.
• Angela, caught with her family in a freak escalator accident at a baseball game, survives vicious trauma.
• Ed, a New York bar owner, survives a violent gang initiation stabbing.

Through gripping narration and victim testimony, the episode delves deeply into the mindset and determination needed to survive unimaginable circumstances. Each segment highlights perseverance, presence of mind, and the crucial moments when hope and instinct make the difference between life and death.

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Terri’s Story: Domestic Violence Survival in Wisconsin

(Segments 01:12 – 15:24)

Key Discussion Points

• Prelude to Violence
  • January 2004, Wind Lake, Wisconsin. Terri is picking up her daughters (ages 4 and 6) from her ex-husband David’s house.
  • Terri describes past domestic abuse and her instinctive reluctance to enter the house.

    “I thought to myself, I don't want to go in his house, but I'm very much a mom.” — Terri (02:27)

• The Attack
  • David lures Terri inside, then assaults her with a baseball bat, striking her head at least 20 times.

    “I just remember ‘clunk’ on the head. I woke up and I was on the floor, and he was on top of me, and I saw a baseball bat... He was just so full of hatred and anger and evil.” — Terri (02:45)

  • Attempts at strangulation and suffocation follow; Terri, recalling a movie, tries to resist suffocation tactics.

    “He was getting frustrated that I wasn't going down as easy as he wanted me to.” — Terri (03:52)

• Confinement and Escape Attempts
  • David binds Terri, stuffs her into a garbage can, fills it with snow, and loads her into his truck; she thinks quickly and forces herself feet-first to avoid fatal head injuries.

    “I thought to myself, If I go in head first, that's gonna be it.” — Terri (04:11)

  • She secretly manages to call 911—twice—while bound and gagged, successfully conveying David's address.

    “I repeated his address like five times.” — Terri (06:01)

• Endurance, Maternal Determination, and Near-Death
  • Terri fights hypothermia overnight, knowing she is pregnant and at risk; she focuses on her daughters' safety to stay alert.

    “I know I can't [rest]. Because I know if I rest, that's going to be it.” — Terri (11:22; episode title)

• Rescue and Aftermath
  • After 27 unthinkable hours, police track her to a storage garage; Terri is found barely alive.

    “I just felt such a sense of relief that I'm still alive and somebody's actually here.” — Terri (12:48)

  • Suffers multiple injuries, frostbite requiring toe amputation, and tragically loses her unborn baby.
  • David is arrested, convicted of kidnapping and attempted murder, and sentenced to life.
  • Terri reflects on her survival:

    “What’s most important is that I'm here and my kids are safe... I survived because I believe God saved me... My love for my children was a huge part of what kept me going and kept me fighting.” — Terri (14:09, 14:38)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “He tried strangling me. He tried putting rags and towels and everything in my mouth...I remembered something that I saw in a movie…turn your head to the side. And I kept doing that.” (03:29)
• “I needed to be there for them and I made it.” (14:38)

Key Timestamps

• [03:23] — First severe head blow, realization of the attack
• [04:11] — Terri stuffed in trash can, feet-first
• [05:36] — First desperate 911 call
• [11:22] — Determination not to rest/let go (“I know if I rest, that's going to be it.”)
• [12:48] — Paramedics arrive; rescue
• [14:38] — Reflection on survival and message to others

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Angela’s Story: Escalator Catastrophe at a Baseball Game

(Segments 16:45 – 28:47)

Key Discussion Points

• Setting the Scene
  • July 2003, Denver, Colorado. Angela and her family leave a Rockies baseball game via a massive three-story escalator packed with about 100 people.
  • Escalator suddenly malfunctions:

    “There was like a click noise... and then... the escalator started to speed up.” — Angela (17:41)

• The Accident Unfolds
  • Escalator accelerates to over 20mph; panic and chaos follow.

    “I remember my hair was blowing. That’s how quickly we were going.” — Angela (18:12)

  • Bodies pile at the bottom; victims trapped, clothing and limbs caught in the machinery.
  • Angela is wedged between bodies, the ‘teeth’ of the escalator repeatedly cut into her leg.

    “It would take a piece and then go flat and recycle itself and then take another piece. It was almost like the escalator was biting you. It was like it was alive.” — Angela (21:05)

• Family Trauma and Rescue
  • Angela witnesses severe injuries to herself and family, fears she and her loved ones will die together.

    “I believe that I was looking down to see where I was going to die... at least if we all die, then we all die together.” — Angela (19:05)

  • A stranger helps free Angela from the machinery after her leg gives way; she is in severe shock.
  • Paramedics arrive; Angela and her father are taken to hospital; her leg is nearly lost, but doctors manage to save it.

    “He said, ‘Oh, wait, there it is’... you’re really lucky.” — Angela (26:46)

• Long-Term Impact
  • Her family sustains lasting scars and trauma.

    “Every time you see an escalator, you think about it. It still takes me a while to get on an escalator.” — Angela (27:25)

  • The accident is traced to escalator component failure; the family and other victims settle with the manufacturer.
  • Angela expresses gratitude for strangers’ help and the resilience of her family and fellow survivors.

    “I believe that our family and I only survived this accident because of people helping one another.” — Angela (28:17)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “It looked like a giant meat grinder... People were holding other people. People were trying to find their family members.” (25:38)
• “I know that everybody in our family still has nightmares.” (27:25)

Key Timestamps

• [17:41] — Escalator malfunctions, panic begins
• [19:05] — Angela’s realization of imminent death
• [21:05] — Escalator “biting” described; leg trauma
• [22:11] — Leg torn open, pulled free with help
• [26:46] — Surgeons decide her leg can be saved
• [28:17] — Reflection on human kindness in crisis

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Ed’s Story: Stabbed in NYC Gang Initiation

(Segments 29:12 – 39:43)

Key Discussion Points

• Setting and Sudden Violence
  • November 1995, Greenwich Village. Ed leaves his bar after closing, bringing coffee for his girlfriend.
  • He’s confronted by three young men; feels uneasy but defensively positions himself.

    “I felt like they were a little thuggish...I put my back to the wall...to let them pass by.” — Ed (29:56)

• Attack and Survival Instinct
  • The men ambush him, stabbing him with a 10-inch knife—abdomen, neck, and back. Defensive boxing stance saves vital organs.

    “He sunk that knife in, but he went in under my elbow...which turned out to have been a very good thing.” — Ed (30:42)

  • Despite horrific wounds (collapsed lungs, severed intestines, bleeding internally), Ed fights back, knocking one attacker down and screaming, which causes them to run.

    “My boxing training came and I pulled back with one straight right punch...and I hit him right in the face and he went down.” — Ed (32:14)

• Moments Between Life and Death
  • Nearly suffocates in own blood; is further assaulted as one attacker attempts to rob him.
  • First responders arrive and perform emergency chest decompression on the street.

    “He stuck a big needle in my neck...shoved a tube in, started to drain the blood.” — Ed (34:06)

  • Ed is conscious throughout, resigned to death but undergoes emergency surgery.

    “I just had this feeling like, thanks guys...but I just don’t have a sense that it’s really gonna work out for me.” — Ed (34:36)

• Long Recovery and Facing Attackers
  • Survives multiple surgeries, extensive transfusions, and a grim prognosis; police reveal the attack was a gang initiation for the Latin Kings.
  • Ed confronts his would-be killers in court, urging them to change their lives.

    “You tried to kill me, and I didn’t die. I want you to remember today, and I want you to do something to be better.” — Ed (38:18)

  • All attackers are sentenced as minors to lesser sentences than if Ed had died.
• Reflection

  “I really think I survived because I was very, very lucky...and I did not want to die.” — Ed (39:19)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “I was screaming in a way that made the little old ladies...call 911.” (33:34)
• “The risk of infection and those sort of injuries is just, you know...They were so sure I was gonna die that they actually gave the case to the homicide unit.” (36:09)
• “You owe me this...do something to be better.” (38:18)

Key Timestamps

• [30:42] — First stabbing, defensive boxing
• [32:14] — Punches attacker, attackers flee
• [34:06] — On-site emergency medical care
• [38:18] — Addresses attackers in court
• [39:19] — Reflection on luck and survival

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Additional Insights & Tone

The episode's tone is urgent and compassionate, giving voice directly to the survivors, allowing for profoundly personal storytelling marked by humanity, resilience, and hope despite extreme suffering. Each person focuses ultimately not on victimhood, but on agency, faith, and the possibility of growth or healing. Key memorable moments are grounded in detail—the chilling cold of snow and duct tape, the grinding violence of an escalator’s teeth, the pulse of blood choked lungs—as well as moments of dark humor and indomitable will.

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Summary Table of Main Segments

| Survivor | Major Threat | Turning Point / Breakthrough | Outcome / Lesson | Key Quote / Moment | |----------|-------------------------|---------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------| | Terri | Brutal attack by ex | Ingeniously called 911; stayed awake | Saved self/kids, awareness of domestic violence | “If I rest, that's going to be it.” | | Angela | Escalator malfunction | Rescued by stranger/medical staff | Family survives, trauma lingers, the value of help | “It was almost like the escalator was biting you.” | | Ed | Gang stabbing | Defensive action, screams for help | Physically recovers, confronts attackers in court | “You tried to kill me, and I didn’t die.” |

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Closing Reflection

This episode of Cold Case Files highlights three separate survivals that transcend mere luck, attesting to the power of presence of mind, courage, and the deep bonds that drive individuals to endure. The stories raise awareness about domestic violence, public safety, and the importance of human connection both in crisis and in its aftermath.

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For support with domestic violence: Call 1-800-799-7233 (National Domestic Violence Hotline)
For escalator and public safety advocacy: Consumer Product Safety Commission
For crime survivor resources: VictimConnect Resource Center

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Transcript

[Commercial Narrator]

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[Marissa Pinson]

Hi, I Survived listeners. I'm Marissa Pinson and if you're enjoying this show, I just want to remind you that episodes of I Survived, as well as the A and E classic Podcast, Cold Case Files, City Confidential, and American justice are all available ad free on the new A and E Crime and Investigation channel on Apple Podcasts and Apple plus for just $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year. And now onto the show.

[Narrator]

This episode contains subject matter that may be disturbing to some listeners. Listener discretion is advised.

[Terry]

I'm slipping in and out of consciousness. I'm freezing, not knowing what he's gonna do next.

[Narrator]

Real people.

[Angela]

I believe that I was looking down to see where I was going to.

[Narrator]

Die, who faced death.

[Terry]

It was inexplicable, the sheer terror.

[Narrator]

And lived to tell how that sense.

[Ed]

Of regret that you would do things differently if you had another couple of days.

[Narrator]

This is I survived. It's January 2004 in Wind Lake, Wisconsin. Terry and her ex husband David, share custody of their daughters, aged 4 and 6. Terry is on her way to David's house to pick up the girls.

[Terry]

I drove to his house and it was very cold that day and snowing. He came to the door and he's like, they're not ready yet and shut the door. Knocked on his door again and he opened it and he said, the girls are hiding and they want you to come and find them.

[Narrator]

Terry had divorced David after enduring three years of domestic violence.

[Terry]

You know, I thought to myself, I don't want to go in his house, but I'm very much a mom. I knew my daughters loved playing those hiding games. So I thought, you know what, I'll just go in and find him and.

[Marissa Pinson]

Go, oh, there you are.

[Terry]

You know, take him and go.

[Narrator]

David had locked the girls in a bedroom and turned up the tv.

[Terry]

After I walked in the house, I Remember saying, gee, I wonder where they are. I started walking toward the living room looking for the girls. And I just remember clunk on the head. I woke up and I was on the floor, and he was on top of me, and I saw a baseball bat. I remember seeing his face as he was swinging. He was just so full of hatred and anger and evil. I think as I was pleading and saying, you don't have to pay your child support, you know, he paused for a minute, and then he was just like, oh, your promises don't mean anything, and continued to hit me.

[Narrator]

David hit Terry in the head with a baseball bat at least 20 times.

[Terry]

He tried strangling me. He tried putting rags and towels and everything in my mouth. He had during the struggle, I don't know why, taken off my socks and shoes and, you know, stuffed my socks in my mouth when he was trying to suffocate me. And he had his hand over me. I remembered something that I saw in a movie, and it said, you know, turn your head away. Turn your head to the side. And I kept doing that. And he was losing his grip. He was getting angry, and he was getting frustrated that I wasn't going down as easy as he wanted me to. I also couldn't believe that during this time when all this was happening, my mind was still going.

[Narrator]

David bound Terri's wrists and covered her face with duct tape.

[Terry]

What he did next is he took a garbage can, one of those large Rubbermaid garbage cans, and started sliding me in it. This is another point where I thought, I can't believe that I'm still thinking. But I thought to myself, I've been knocked in the head so many times and bleeding from the head. If I go in head first, that's gonna be it.

[Narrator]

Terri twisted her body around and ended up in the trash can feet first. David took the trash can outside.

[Terry]

He was turning it around in his front yard, filling it, packing it with snow. My feet were bare, my legs were bare. I just, you know, had a jacket on. I could feel the snow all around me.

[Narrator]

David loaded the trash can onto the back of his truck and covered it with a tarp.

[Terry]

It's very cold outside, you know, I just remember what was going through my head. Just a sheer terror of, he is really killing me. When I heard his footsteps walk back in the house and heard him shut the door, my first thought was, where are the girls? I can't die. I have to stay alert. I have to help my girls. I thought to myself, I know I have my cell phone in My jacket pocket. I then scratched off the duct tape with my thumbnail. Off my wrist, reached into my pocket. Pocket. Even though I couldn't see because my face was all taped up, I could feel the numbers and dialed 911.

[Angela]

911, mobile emergency. Where's your emergency? I can't hear you. Are you having difficulty breathing? 26841. 26841.

[Ed]

What's this? Grief.

[Terry]

I knew she wasn't going to be able to understand me because everything was taped up. So I was just. I repeated his address like five times.

[Narrator]

Terry managed to give David's home address to the operator. David then put the girls into the truck's cab and drove off.

[Terry]

A few minutes later, I heard the squads come. But at that time, he was moving and they passed us right up because they were coming to his house. I'm in this garbage can, no clothes on the bottom of me. Packed in snow. My head is bleeding, aching. I'm slipping in and out of consciousness.

[Narrator]

Over the next hour, Terri's body temperature fell rapidly. Pregnant, she was in danger of losing her baby.

[Terry]

When I came to, I made a 911 call again. This time it was in Milwaukee County. I'm freezing, not knowing what he's gonna do next. Knowing that I'm dying.

[Ed]

Can I help you? Where are you?

[Terry]

The dispatcher at the time thought it was a prank call. She said, did he handcuff you? I said, no, he duct taped me. Well, then how are you making this call? And it was just very frustrating. But I was trying to get out my name and his name, where he lived. And I remember, I think during that 911 call up, blacking out. Because at the end I was just breathing on the phone. And I remember her saying, are you going to talk to me or just breathe heavy.

[Narrator]

David had beaten Terri so badly that her head had swollen to three times its normal size.

[Terry]

I thought, I have to do whatever I can to get him caught. I remember sticking my hand out of the garbage can and trying to, like, wave it around in the back of the truck, hoping somebody would see. And the truck came to a stop and he got out and he said, one more stunt like that, I'll get out my.38.

[Narrator]

Terry knew that David owned guns, so she took his threat seriously.

[Terry]

I was terrified of what was happening to me, but I was more terrified of what is going to happen to my kids. It was inexplicable, the sheer terror.

[Narrator]

Terry's daughters were in the front of the truck, unaware their mom was dying in the back.

[Terry]

He either kicked me or hit me in the head with a bat. One more time. He had the bat in the truck too. My cell phone rang and I still to this day haven't found out who called. But he heard my cell phone ringing and he took was just, wow, that was my lifeline. And that's gone now.

[Narrator]

David got back into the truck and continued driving.

[Terry]

I remember pulling the tape down from one of my eyes and seeing the tarp that was on top of me blowing in the wind and just seeing a road with farms. I had no idea where we were.

[Narrator]

Terri was sure David was looking for a place to hide her body.

[Terry]

Is he gonna take me and dump me in a lake somewhere? He's gonna take me and put me someplace where nobody's ever gonna find me.

[Narrator]

At 4pm after an hour of driving, the truck finally stopped.

[Terry]

And the next thing I knew, I could feel the garbage can being picked up, taken off the truck. I could hear the girls running and laughing and, you know, giggling. And I didn't want to call out to the girls because I knew, number one, they were so little they wouldn't be able to do anything anyway. And number two, I didn't want to traumatize them. I could feel myself being rolled somewhere. I could hear that we were in some kind of a garage.

[Narrator]

David took Terry to a storage garage in Wheeling, Illinois, 55 miles south of his home.

[Terry]

I hear a bunch of ruckus, boxes being slid, things being piled up on top of the garbage can he had put the lid on.

[Narrator]

At this time, David covered the trash can with 2 by 4 timber and cardboard boxes.

[Terry]

I was silent all this time because I wanted him to think that I was dead so he wouldn't shoot, you know, it was then I thought, I am, I'm gonna die. I am beaten. I am in this frozen tomb. I'm gonna die. As soon as I heard a door close, I remember I waited a few minutes to make sure he was gone. Then I started yelling.

[Narrator]

David dropped the girls off with a babysitter he had arranged and went to work.

[Terry]

Being said, squished up in the garbage can. I mean, my knees were totally up against it and I was in the fetal position. I couldn't move. My feet were bare. There was snow that was turning into ice. My head was still bleeding from being beaten so bad. I threw up a couple of times from a concussion. I was completely trapped. It felt like forever.

[Narrator]

Terry had now been in the freezing trash can for more than 313 hours.

[Terry]

There were a couple times when I was just so drained. I thought, you know, I just. I need to rest a little bit. Then right away I thought, I know I can't, because I know if I rest, that's going to be it.

[Narrator]

Overnight, the temperature had dropped to just above zero.

[Terry]

My eyes were so swollen. They were swollen shut. I still couldn't see. So that was terrifying in itself. And I just remember doing anything and everything I could to keep myself awake and to try to get out and to scream and yell for help. I was extremely exhausted. My head was always like frozen blood.

[Narrator]

Terri's core body temperature had dropped to a dangerously low 84 degrees. She was suffering from hypothermia and frostbite.

[Terry]

It was such a helpless feeling. I knew that I was freezing, and if I don't keep trying to move as much as I can and keep myself alert, I'm gonna freeze to death. I remember hearing some noise like somebody was coming back in, and I panicked because I thought, oh, my gosh, he's coming back. I don't know what he's gonna do. Is he gonna shoot me now because I'm still alive? What's he gonna do, dump the garbage can in the lake? I don't know.

[Narrator]

It's 1pm on Sunday. Terri has now been trapped in the icy trash can for 27 hours. When she heard the sounds, she was an hour away from death.

[Terry]

I heard somebody say, we're the paramedics. And I just felt such a sense of relief that I'm still alive and somebody's actually here.

[Narrator]

Following Terry's 911 calls, police searched David's house. They alerted paramedics. After finding a business card for the storage garage, Terry was rushed to the intensive care unit at the nearest hospital.

[Terry]

The next thing I knew, I woke up, I was in the hospital. I remember a nurse saying, we have to cut your hair so we can staple your head. Is that okay? And I'm thinking, yeah, my hair. Like I care about my hair. The first thing I asked when I came to was, where are my kids?

[Narrator]

Terri's girls were safe and being looked after by her sister. Doctors told Terri and her husband Nick that their unborn baby had died.

[Terry]

When my eyes were open and I first saw Nick, it was just, I can't believe I'm here. And it was sadness of what we had to go through after just being married. Sadness after losing our baby together. The doctors thought at the time that they might have to amputate my legs below my knees and my arms below my elbows.

[Narrator]

Terri's arms and legs were saved, but all of her toes were removed due to the frostbite.

[Terry]

I remember my dad being in the room and saying to the doctor, do you really have to take her toes? And at that point I remember saying, dad, it's just my toes. What's most important is that I'm here and my kids are safe and my kids are here. My toes don't matter.

[Narrator]

Terri became pregnant again and gave birth to a healthy boy. David Larson was arrested at his place of work and convicted of kidnapping and attempted murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.

[Terry]

At the sentencing, he was glaring at me, but I didn't let it get to me because again, it's, you know what? I'm out here, I'm living my life and you're going away. You can't hurt me anymore. I survived because I believe God saved me. He got me through this to be here for my kids, to be here to talk about domestic violence, to save other people. I believe that my love for my children was a huge part of what kept me going and kept me fighting. I needed to be there for them and I made it.

[Marissa Pinson]

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[Narrator]

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[Marissa Pinson]

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[Narrator]

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[Marissa Pinson]

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[Narrator]

Cmintmobile.com It's July 2003 in Denver, Colorado. Angela is at a 4th of July baseball game with her family. The Colorado Rockies are playing the Arizona Diamondbacks. Angela and her family are exiting the park after the game.

[Angela]

We let the initial crowd begin to go so that we could kind of stay together as a family since we're on the top floor. The only escalator that you can use is a three story escalator. It does not have any stops. It's just one really long escalator. It's kind of almost scary when you're looking at it because it's just so massive. But you trust that everything's gonna work okay. When it was our turn to go, there wasn't too many more people left up above. And we began the descent down the.

[Narrator]

Escalator was carrying 100 people.

[Angela]

There was like a click noise, and everybody, you know, kind of just looked around at each other. Then there was a cranking noise, almost like you were winding up a clock. And then I heard kind of a snap sound, like a band. The escalator started to speed up, and what I believed to be happening was that we were all going to get shot off of the escalator because it was moving so fast.

[Narrator]

The escalator accelerated to more than 20 miles per hour.

[Angela]

I remember my hair was blowing. That's how quickly we were going. I just remember thinking, we're going to crash. We're going to fall off of this because we are going so fast. People started screaming for people at the bottom of the steps to run off of the escalator so that the rest of us could also run. When we got down to the bottom.

[Narrator]

In a rush to get off the escalator, people fell, creating a pile of bodies.

[Angela]

I remember trying to climb off of the side, but the escalator was going way too fast to even try to jump off. People's clothing and their hair was getting stuck in the escalator so that they couldn't move. And it kind of looked like a landslide of people just laying there.

[Narrator]

Angela and her family of six were seconds away from crashing into the pile of bodies.

[Angela]

I believe that I was looking down to see where I was going to die. At the time when the escalator was falling, I was able to see all of my family members. And knowing that we were going to be going into what looked like a giant meat grinder, I was like, all right, well, at least if we all die, then we all die together. And none of us have to get left behind.

[Narrator]

Smoke began pouring from the escalator as the rubber handrails burned.

[Angela]

I could smell burning flesh because the sides of the escalator were so hot. There was just blood everywhere. Covering the people kind of sprang up when some new victim got caught by the escalator. As I reached the bottom, I hit into the big, massive pile, and it covered my whole body.

[Narrator]

As Angela sunk deeper into the pile of bodies, she was in danger of silence, suffocating. The escalator was still out of control as people in the crowd rushed to help.

[Angela]

When a body was taken out of the escalator by a rescuer or they were able to de wedge themselves, then somebody else would take their place. The reason people were getting sucked under is that you were standing on the step, and then when the step went flat, you kind of slipped, you know, from all the people's blood and hair and just their body parts. So I knew that it wasn't good down where they were, and I began to start taking their place.

[Narrator]

Angela was slipping closer to the escalators, moving teeth.

[Angela]

I remember looking for all of my family members, but the pile of people was so massive that you couldn't really tell who was who. You weren't even sure what part was yours. And the only person that I knew was my dad, because he was holding onto me and holding me up. I did see my sister climb off, so I knew that she had gotten off.

[Narrator]

Angela did not know if her mom, grandmother, or brother were still alive.

[Angela]

My leg was wedged between bodies, and the metal teeth of the escalator repeatedly just kept digging into my leg. It would take a piece and then go flat and recycle itself and then take another piece. It was almost like the escalator was biting you. It was like it was alive. At this point, my whole body just ached from the people hitting into me. I knew that my leg was cut. My leg was hurting really bad, and I turned around to look for my dad, and I said, dad, I'm getting sucked under. I just imagined the escalator just opening up and just sucking us all under. But I remember reaching out to my right, and there was a young man that reached over and grabbed me with both arms and was trying to pull me. And I was saying to him, I'm stuck. I'm stuck. My leg is stuck in the teeth. And then all of a sudden, I got, like, a really warm sensation over my whole body, and it felt like something had snapped in my lower leg.

[Narrator]

Angela was terrified. Her left leg had been Been torn off by the escalator.

[Angela]

At this point, I thought that my leg had been detached because there was no more pain. After that, I kind of felt limp. I felt very weak. And so I told the man, I said, just keep pulling, you know, please get me off of this. And finally, he was able to pull me free.

[Narrator]

Despite bleeding heavily, Angela couldn't bring herself to look at her leg.

[Angela]

I didn't know what was wrong, but I. I did think that I was missing some body parts. And he laid me down, and he was asking, are you all right? And I said, where's my family? Where's my dad? I thought that my dad had probably taken my place on the escalator. Eventually, I saw my dad kind of crawl out of the pile, and he came towards me, but he didn't look very good. He was very pale.

[Narrator]

Angela had no idea what had happened to her mom and grand.

[Angela]

Then I heard my name through the crowd, and I looked to my left, and it was my sister, my little brother. And I could tell that she was bleeding, and she was just trying to hold her leg. And my little brother was staring at me and staring at my leg. And he began saying, oh, she's gonna die. And so at this point, I knew that there was probably something more serious, But I couldn't see because nobody was letting me look. I remember I did begin to cry because I thought, my little brother's gonna watch his older sister die. I was looking all throughout the crowd, and I couldn't see anybody but my dad and my sister and brother. It didn't feel like this was actually happening to our family, because how can an escalator just suddenly speed up and cause all of this damage?

[Narrator]

Angela was losing blood rapidly but still has not seen her injured leg.

[Angela]

Right then, a woman came with a big Rockies towel and wrapped my leg up. And I asked to see my leg, and she said, no, you don't want to see it right now.

[Narrator]

Emergency medical technicians were now on the scene.

[Angela]

They were assessing, you know, who was going to go where, depending on their injuries. And I knew that we were probably going to get split up, so I just kept my hand outreach to my sister and brother. I knew my dad was on my right side. I knew my dad was right there. I believe that he saw my leg, and he just kept kind of coming in and out of consciousness. And I was really afraid that, you know, he was hurt because he wasn't moving.

[Narrator]

Angela's dad was close to passing out and was bleeding heavily from deep cuts in his back.

[Angela]

There were A lot of people on the scene, and when they first came to me, they started taking, you know, blood pressure and all that.

[Narrator]

EMTs recorded Angela's vital signs.

[Angela]

I was thinking, you know, what is he writing? Like, is she condemned to die? Like, what? You know, what are you doing? They told me to lay down, so I wasn't going to see it. But I, of course, sat up because I wanted to see what was going on. And I saw my leg, and I looked at it, and, you know, I could see bone, and I could see muscle and everything. That's whenever I really went into shock, was when I saw my leg.

[Narrator]

The escalator was still speeding out of control.

[Angela]

It sounded like the whole thing was just going to explode. I just pictured, you know, bolts just shooting from it. Sounded like parts were getting loose because of how quick the stairs were moving. It smelled really bad. And I believe somebody in the crowd even shouted, you know, it's going to explode. And I was laying very close to the escalator.

[Narrator]

The woman assisting Angela was still by her side.

[Angela]

Fear just came over both of us thinking, all right, we may have made this, but now this escalator's gonna explode. So we've already seen our deaths, we've conquered it, and now we're gonna die again. It smelled really bad, and I believe somebody in the crowd even shouted, you know, it's gonna explode. And I was laying very close to the escalator. It looked like a giant meat grinder. At this point, they had gotten it to stop, but it was just so massive, and the walls, everything was just covered in blood. Everything was kind of mangled. And I remember thinking to myself, oh, I bet parts of me are over there. It seemed like just such a horrible, chaotic event. People were holding other people. People were trying to find their family members.

[Narrator]

Angela and her dad were put into an ambulance and rushed to the hospital.

[Angela]

My leg at this point was still wrapped up. And One of the EMTs said to the other, don't open this right now, because we can't deal with it.

[Narrator]

In surgery, Angela was terrified the doctors were going to amputate her left leg.

[Angela]

They started washing it off, and one of them said, you know, we might have to take it. And I was like, no, you're not going to take it. And then he looked, and he was like, oh, wait, there it is.

[Narrator]

The doctors had found a vital vein that allowed them to save Angela's leg.

[Angela]

And one of the doctors grabbed one side of the skin and then grabbed the other side and goes, oh, it fits back together. He's like, you're really lucky.

[Narrator]

Angela had 38 stitches in her leg and was unsure if she would walk again. Her mom and grandmother survived, but sustained serious injuries. Angela's dad and sister had major cuts and burns to their bodies.

[Angela]

When my dad lifted up his shirt, it looked like he had laid down on a grill. There were teeth marks from the actual escalator that were in his back that looked like it had just burned itself into him. I know that everybody in our family still has nightmares. Every time you see an escalator, you think about it. It still takes me a while to get on an escalator, and I really watch where I am.

[Narrator]

Of the 100 people on the escalation, 23 were badly injured in the accident. The injuries were similar to those of a driver who had crashed at 35 miles per hour without a seatbelt. Investigators found that two vital components controlling the escalator's speed had failed. The escalator firm reached an undisclosed settlement with all of the accident victims.

[Angela]

Anytime I hear a noise that kind of resembles what the escalator sounded like, I kind of look around waiting for that escalator to come back. I believe that our family and I only survived this accident because of people helping one another. It really seemed like the general public cared about others. And I think in times of crisis, we all come together.

[Narrator]

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Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations. It's November 1995 in New York City, New York. Ed runs a bar in Greenwich Village, Manhattan and has just closed up for the night.

[Ed]

It was about 2am and I had just walked out of my bar. But because this was the night, two nights before Thanksgiving, it was very dead. And so there was really nobody on the street. But I wasn't afraid at all. I knew the owners of the restaurants and the bars in the neighborhood.

[Narrator]

Ed was carrying two cups of coffee to have with his girlfriend. She was working at a nearby bakery.

[Ed]

And as I walked onto the block, these three kids get up and start to walk towards me. I felt like they were a little thuggish. I didn't have any sense of danger, but I didn't want to walk between them. So I put my back to the wall and I held the cups like this to let them pass by.

[Narrator]

Ed was unaware the three men were armed with knives.

[Ed]

And they jumped on me and just started to stab me as many times as they could. There was a guy on the left, a guy right in front of me and a guy on my right. And the guy on the right had a knife with a 10 inch blade.

[Narrator]

The man with a 10 inch blade lunged at Ed's neck to protect himself. Ed used his college boxing training.

[Ed]

I dropped the coffee and I put both my hands up like this. When I put my hands up, he sunk that knife in, but he went in under my elbow.

[Narrator]

Ed was stabbed in the abdomen and.

[Ed]

He pulled it out. And I remember hearing like a. I saw the gleam of the blade and it had blood all over it. And then I just knew that I was in big trouble. I had put my hands up in a defensive boxing posture. And it went in underneath my elbow, just above my belt, which turned out to have been a very good thing.

[Narrator]

The knife narrowly missed Ed's liver and kidneys.

[Ed]

The first big stab got just my intestines and then the end of the that the first couple of inches of the blade went up and cut the very large vein that returns all your blood to your heart, called the inferior vena cava.

[Narrator]

Bleeding heavily, Ed's intestines have been slit and both of his lungs have collapsed. The attacker with the 10 inch knife then went for Ed's throat.

[Ed]

But again I had my hands up and he couldn't go for the throat. So he just plunged it into my neck right here and it went all the way in. And I look and he pulls the knife out and I see sliding out of my neck, this covered in blood, this knife comes out and then I twist it and the other guy was stabbing me up my back. The guy in the middle, for whatever reason, just couldn't, hadn't quite gotten a chance to stick me yet. And my boxing training came and I pulled back with one straight right punch as hard as I could throw it, and I hit him right in the face and he went down. I started to scream and my screaming combined with the fact that their middle guy fell made them run away. So I start to run and it feels very heavy and I go down to my hands and knees. At this point my lungs have filled up and it just feels as if I have incredible weight pushing down and I'm suffocating I'm literally drowning in my own blood. My screaming, combined with the fact that their middle guy fell, made them run away.

[Narrator]

One of the men then returned to see if Ed was dead.

[Ed]

He stops next to me and tries to take my wallet. And I grabbed onto his leg, and he started to kick me and stomp on me. And I was screaming then. And so then he took off.

[Narrator]

90% of Ed's lungs had filled with blood, and he was close to passing out.

[Ed]

I was screaming in a way that made the little old ladies that lived upstairs in the apartments on Thompson street, call 911-15.

[Narrator]

Calls were made to 911 following Ed's screams.

[Ed]

I rolled over onto my back, and everyone's gathered around me, and I'm trying to tell them that I've been stabbed. But I started to feel very. Just felt confused.

[Narrator]

Minutes later, an ambulance arrived.

[Ed]

The ambulance guy started cutting my clothes off, and he stuck a big needle in my neck, and he lifted my arm up, and he cut me open, and he shoved a tube in, started to drain the blood. And then he lifted my other arm up, and he shoved another tube in and started to drain the blood onto the sidewalk. And they were talking to me, and they were saying, you gotta hang in there. You gotta hang in there. And we get in the ambulance, and I just had this feeling like, thanks, guys. You know, I appreciate your effort, but I just don't have a sense that it's really gonna work out for me. I said, there's no way they're gonna be able to save me. I don't have that much blood to spare. And I'm. I'm sure this is it.

[Narrator]

Ed thought he had seconds left to live.

[Ed]

You just think, oh, boy. Would have done things a little differently, but it's too late. I went into surgery, and I just remember them clamping the mask on me, and I was conscious the whole time. The nurse said something like, he has a pulse, but he has no blood pressure. And the surgeon then looks at the anesthesiologist, and he's counting down for me to go out. And I just remember the surgeon saying, we don't have time.

[Narrator]

Ed's condition was deteriorating rapidly from extensive bleeding.

[Ed]

And then they opened me up from my sternum all the way down to below my belt line. And then they operated on me the entire night. And they took out about a dozen feet of my intestines. And they had to find every puncture and nick and cut. And to stitch it up, they had to give me some. It was essentially two Complete blood transfusions. By the time they were able to stop all the bleeding.

[Narrator]

Ed survived the operation, but his life was still in danger.

[Ed]

Then. Nobody expected me to live because the risk of infection and those sort of injuries is just, you know, my intestines were cut open inside me, so they had to disinfect my entire abdominal cavity and pack everything back in. They were so sure that I was gonna die that they actually gave the case to the homicide unit. I hung in there, and then the surgeon came to see me. He said that he's done a lot of surgeries where his hands are in there and he's working, and he feels something let go. And then shortly after that, you know, the heart stops or whatever happens. And he said, you know, you just hung in there for me to get my work done. So it worked out. It was great, and I was very grateful.

[Narrator]

The men were caught that night after a witness saw them run into a subway station. The youngest attacker was. Was 16 years old.

[Ed]

I found out later from the detectives that these kids had come in from Brooklyn. I just remember being shocked at their age and that they. They couldn't have had any idea of what they were doing.

[Narrator]

Police told Ed the attack had been part of a Latin King's gang initiation.

[Ed]

They didn't want to kill an old lady, and they didn't want to kill a young girl. They didn't want to kill an old man. They were looking for somebody like me. That was their task. They were to kill somebody, and the guys who were the lookouts were higher up in the gang, and they were going to witness it, and then that would be their credibility.

[Narrator]

It took Ed five years to fully recover.

[Ed]

When I started to get physically better, I had a very, very hard time emotionally feeling like I was going to be attacked walking down the street. It would paralyze me.

[Narrator]

Ed was given the chance to confront his attackers in court.

[Ed]

I actually was hoping to make a difference. I tried to say, you're going to prison, but one day you're gonna get out. You don't have to be who you are now. You know, I didn't die, so that means you're going to get out of prison. You're only going in for 15 is the max. If I died, you would have gotten 25 years to life. You're getting out 10 years early because I didn't die. You tried to kill me, and I didn't die. And I said to each one of them, I said, you owe me this. And I want you to remember today, and I want you to do something to be better.

[Narrator]

Kyann Mullings, 16, was sentenced to a maximum of eight years in prison for attempted murder. Eliezer Rodriguez, 19, was sentenced to a maximum six years in prison for attempted murder. Samuel Vasquez, 18, was sentenced to a maximum of 15 years in prison for attempted murder.

[Ed]

I really think I survived because I was very, very lucky and my surgeon said to me that I had about less than a 2% chance of living and I was strong and healthy and I did not want to die.

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[Ed]

Every human being we save is one.

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[Angela]

Damn, I hate to fly.

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[Ed]

What is going on here?

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