PHOTO: The last second of life

From what the photo looked like, it seems there wasn't a wall between tracks. And the third rail can be jumped over by a healthy adult.

But that's all second-guessing, of course.

 

I'm surprised he couldn't lift himself out with the adrenaline rush of pure fear.

 

I'm not sure how you're determining that. And keep in mind that when you jump, the thing you'll land on is the third rail of the adjacent track.

 

Story points out he was likely drunk.

 

I will always remember the following sad incident.

I was on an Amtrak train that killed a young boy who was on a bridge with a friend of his.

When they realized a train was coming, instinct took over, and they started running to get off the bridge, back the way they came. The first boy made it to the end and jumped to safety. The second boy got hit about 25 feet from the end of the bridge. The train was braking but still going probably 40 mph when it hit him, propelling him off the tracks and into an embankment.

Now, instinct is a fucked up thing. In a panic, you often will leave a room or theater the exact same way you came in.

Unfortunately, this was a double tracked bridge, so all the kids had to do is step from the track that the oncoming train was on over to the other track. It would have been scary as all hell, but no other train was coming, and both of them would have survived.

If you fall off of a subway platform, what do you do next - what is your first instinct? Probably trying to climb back up to the platform, which is probably beyond chest high for most people.

Jumping over to the other set of tracks, or lying down in the middle of the tracks you are on, might have made a difference, if he had had the time to think quickly and clearly enough.

Sad all the way around.

I am not typing this up to be critical of anyone. My main point is always think of escape options - in a movie theater, remember there are exits down near the screen. In a car accident, consider deliberately leaving the roadway instead of trying to stay in your lane. Etc. Etc.

Be careful of your first instincts. That's my main message. Not easy to do when you are in a full scale panic. But if you can quickly assess options, it might make all the difference.

 

Yeah, I saw that. Must have been very drunk.

 

You obviously don't live in Toronto where homelessness and panhandling is an industry. And I always have my head on a swivel whenever I travel by subway in Toronto. Plenty of fucked up people roaming stations and trains there too.

 

Any big city in Florida. All that shit flows south.

 

My 6-year-old and I go into the city each week and do 2 quick subway rides, one uptown, one down at rush hour. It's 95% all good, with people of all different shapes, sizes, colors, backgrounds offering her a seat. Last night we got into a stuffed train, there was some pushing, and a lady said to my daughter, "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

The lessons she's learning from these rides are pretty valuable ... It's good shit you don't get in the 'burbs. We as parents focus so much on 'stranger danger' that we forget to teach kids that strangers can be wonderful and amazing human beings.

That being said, I am on guard on the platforms... And last night as we waited 5 feet from the edge of the platform, my daughter decides to break into her Irish step dance. I grabbed her arm pretty hard and told her sternly to cut it out. She called me mean mommy, and we def had words. I didn't even know this death had happened earlier in the day.

What's interesting is that just within the past few months, the many of the NYC subway platforms have been outfitted with digital signs that tell you exactly when the next train is coming. Presumably everybody would have known exactly how long the guy had to get off the track. Not sure if that particular station has one of those digital signs, tho.

Great story, Rags.

 

From what the picture looked, it appears there were arches separating the two tracks. I don't know what's on the floor of the arches, if there are parts of the third rail there for one or the other tracks or both, but it seems like there might be a bit of room under the arch for a person to stand.

Of course, this would also depend on the person on the tracks being somehow able to keep his cool and avoid the third rail from either arch.

 

The fact that he just wants money tells you whether he would have helped him or not. Just like so many others, in search of and worshipping the almighty dollar.

 

Thought Jack Schafer had a really good piece on it.

http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/2012/12/06/the-deadliest-image/