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Whoa! Conductor Stops Subway, Misses Hitting Woman On Tracks
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Aug 29, 2010
Modified Aug 29, 2010
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By
Jaya Saxena
Published Aug 29, 2010
Modified Aug 29, 2010
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A woman who fell onto the tracks at the 5th Avenue and 59th Street N station yesterday morning is extremely lucky to be alive, after an oncoming train came to a halt just 70 feet before hitting her body. According to the Daily News, Motorman Francis Lusk spotted the woman about 300 feet before his train, and saw folks on the platform waving their hands frantically, so he slammed on the brakes not a moment too soon. He said, "She walked right off the platform. I was shocked. I didn't know what was wrong."
One witness said the woman appeared to be moaning and incapable of moving from the tracks. After the train stopped, Lusk got out and attempted to help her. He said she was bleeding but conscious, and she had admitted to feeling dizzy before the fall. Lusk guessed, "If she was discombobulated, she might not have known where she was and stumbled onto the third rail." The woman was transferred to New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and Lusk was hailed as a hero. NYCT president Tom Prendergast said, "Thanks to the quick thinking and actions of one of our employees this incident - which could have had very tragic consequences - instead had a very happy ending."
Lusk joins the ranks of other subway heroes, such as firefighter Adam Rivera, Lance McGraw, and the unidentified gang who saved an MTA worker from the tracks. As for what caused the woman to fall, perhaps she just hadn't had her breakfast that morning?
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