A subway operator failed to search adequately for the body of a commuter that fell between cars, clearing the way for 10 more trains to run it over before being discovered, a report from the New York Post reveals.
The incident occurred on March 28 at the Kings Highway station of the N train, in Gravesend.
Here’s the story from the Post:
The tragedy unfolded as Arabell Lin, 25, who has a prosthetic right leg, was walking between the cars of a Coney Island-bound N train on March 28.
After she fell, she hit a device on one of the cars that triggers the emergency brake when the train encounters an obstruction.
The operator, whose name was not released, got out of the cab and spent seven minutes walking up and down the track, looking under each car for whatever caused the train to stop.
Then the operator climbed aboard and continued the trip.
Dear readers of Sheepshead Bites, I don’t think I need to expound upon the daily lunacies experienced by Q and B train riders. We’ve all had our share of sociopaths and weirdos, and, yes, we all love to share them like war stories, chests swelled with the glory of surviving the encounter.
If you haven’t heard of People Of Public Transit, make sure you have a lot of time to waste and then go check it out. The site chronicles much of this scintillating subculture, as well as general subway behavior faux pas.
Well, yesterday they published the above video caught on the Q train. I’ve seen this guy. Janelle F., who pointed it out to us via Facebook has definitely seen him. You’ve probably seen this guy, too.
So, you know, I’m republishing it. For the historical record and all. People in the future need to know these things happened.
Got a subway or bus story you’d like to tell the world about? Send it to us here.
Another truck slammed into the B/Q subway overpass at Avenue P yesterday, resulting in this mess. In March, Arthur (who snapped the above photo) also caught a truck accident at the exact same overpass. It happens way too often, and some residents are asking if large trucks should be banned from Brooklyn streets.
Yesterday around 2:30 p.m., the above pictured truck was moving with traffic until it came to the overpass on Avenue U between East 15th Street and East 16th Street. He jammed on the brakes in time to stop from being peeled open by the 12′-2″ overpass. A police escort arrived in a scooter, and helped block off oncoming traffic while the truck backed up two and half crowded blocks of traffic along Avenue U, then reversed up the wrong way of East 13th Street – even avoiding a double parked car – and then finished up the K-turn to head west on the avenue.
The whole ordeal took about 20 minutes, and I was beyond impressed to watch this driver patiently pull such a ballsy move (not that he had a choice) in an 18-wheeler, as throngs of Asian residents bustled around the cab dismissively. Traffic backed up for a few blocks, but except for a few jerks who recklessly sped off down when they could, drivers were compliant.
Maybe it doesn’t sound so impressive in writing, but I felt the whole act needed to be applauded once it was done. And while some may say the driver never should’ve gotten himself into the situation, I’m wondering if we need clearance signs going back a few blocks to give proper caution (right now, they’re only on the overpasses).
As most know, the Metropolitan Transit Authority has proposed yet another series of cuts that will drastically alter service. With $40 million in cuts to Access-A-Ride, ten bus routes being eliminated, weekend service cuts to be implemented, and reduced service expected to take effect, the crowds of people waiting to huddle into a urine-soaked car will start to become even more inhospitable than it presently is.
With many of the route cuts affecting express lines and buses that service the Downtown Brooklyn area, it’s easy to think Sheepshead Bay residents needn’t bother opposing this. But they’re wrong.
Nearby train lines D, F, and A lines will all be affected by reduced service, while express buses X29 and X38, which service Coney Island/Seagate, will be eliminated. The B4 bus will no longer travel along Emmons Avenue/Shore Parkway – forcing some Bay residents to walk more than a mile to the nearest bus line.
Perhaps the most devastating cut will be the elimination of Student MetroCards, a luxury that has accommodated NYC youth (and predated by the illustrious bus pass) for ages. With the increased cost of transportation in recent years, the flawed logic of this plan is evident to just about everyone.
Christine Quinn of the New York City Council is encouraging Brooklyn residents to sign her petition, available here . You can also become involved by working with NYPIRG’s Straphangers Campaign or signing up to volunteer (contact Nick Rolf NROLF@council.nyc.gov.).
Of more immediate importance, a public hearing will be held on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at the Brooklyn Museum’s Cantor Auditorium at 6 p.m. There’s strength in numbers, so even if you don’t plan to speak, show them that the issue was important enough to bring you out in the cold weather.
A teenager’s leg was severed by a train while he was in a Brooklyn subway tunnel on Saturday night, planning to paint graffiti with two other boys, the authorities said.
…
They were about 75 feet north of the platform at the Kings Highway station when the accident occurred, the police said.
The teenagers had noticed a train leaving the station and were standing inside recesses normally used by maintenance workers alongside the tracks. It was unclear whether Jose’s leg had been in the path of the train, if his clothing got caught, or if there was some other cause, the police said.
“He was in a box by himself,” Julio said, referring to the recess that Jose was standing in. “I knew something was going to happen, I saw my cousin walk to my brother’s box. The train sliced his knee. I saw sparks and him laying there.”
According to a law enforcement official who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the details of the investigation, Jose was hit by a metal part of the train called the shoe, which connects to the third rail.
“He is lucky that all he had was his leg amputated,” the official said. “If he had been touching another piece of metal when he was hit by the shoe, he would have burst into flames because of all the electricity.”
It was not clear whether Jose’s leg was severed by the shoe or by the train’s wheels.
The train did not stop because the driver did not know anyone had been hit, the official said.
Julio said that he yelled to his brother, “Droopy’s dead! Droopy’s dead!” using Jose’s nickname.
“He was moaning, ‘Oh, my knee,’ ” Julio said. “We said, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of here.’ ”
Julio said that only a little skin connected the lower part of Jose’s leg with the top; Julio tried to hold it together while his brother struggled to carry Jose on his back.
A train passed in the other direction, and the police and rescue workers soon arrived.
“He asked the cops, ‘Can I get up and walk?’ ” Julio said. “They said, ‘No, you have no leg.’ ”
I think subway platforms – especially Sheepshead Bay train station’s – make great scenes for photography. Gary Wong proves my point with this photo taken just a few days ago. He writes on his photoblog, The Wong Way, “With the temperature in the low 20s and the wind fiercely blowing, these people were smart and stayed in the stairwell while waiting for their train.” For those interested, check out his site. Wong has challenged himself to take and publish one thought out photo per day to document his 29th year of life. He’s going from birthday to birthday. Also, you can subscribe to his Flickr stream.
