In 2017, there were 900 incidents in which someone was on New York’s subway tracks or hit by a train while standing too close on the platform. In 2018, the number of incidents is likely to be higher once the final numbers are calculated. Passengers have many reasons for ending up on the tracks: they are confused, drunk, dropped something they wish to retrieve, or they are emotionally unstable. At least 43 of the instances are believed to have been suicides or attempted suicides. New York has the most subway stations of any system in the world, compounding the problem. There is currently no barrier system between riders and the tracks.
The Washington Post reports on a man whose clothing was caught on a subway train, which resulted in his death.
On Tuesday evening at the 7 train stop at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan, a man’s clothing became stuck on a train, pulling him into the tunnel.
NYPD officers responded to a 911 call regarding a person struck by a train at about 7:20 p.m. The man, identified only as a 39-year-old male suffered from severe trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police and transit officials are still investigating. Early indications indicate that the subway platform was not crowded and the train was already in motion when the man appeared on the platform.
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Surveillance footage shows the man being dragged by the train. Subway operators became aware of the man when his body struck an electrical box, which caused a flash. Witnesses reported that just before the accident, the man had been walking close to the yellow line that runs across platforms to warn passengers not to stand too close to the edge.
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