Two Metro riders in their 70s fell onto the tracks at the crowded Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro station on Monday, then were rescued by other riders. The couple fell onto the Red Line tracks near the 7th and F streets entrance around 12:15 p.m. while the station was filled with passengers. Other riders jumped down into the tracks and pulled them to safety, Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said.
The pair, both believed to be in their 70s, had serious but not life-threatening injuries, said D.C. Fire & EMS spokesman Pete Piringer. They were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
| Recent accidental deaths on Metro |
| » Jan. 15, 2011: The body of Smithsonian archivist Lou Stancari, 63, was found on the tracks at the Farragut North station, apparently hit by a train. The medical examiner ruled it an accident but details remain sketchy. |
| » July 4, 2010: Joseph Doyle, a 28-year-old law school student, died after falling into the tracks at the Minnesota Avenue station. |
| » Dec. 27, 2009: A blind man, whose name was not released, fell from the Gallery Place platform and subsequently died of his injuries. |
| » March 15, 2009: Kevin Deiss, 22, was killed when he was struck by a train at East Falls Church station after he fell onto the tracks. |
It was not immediately clear what caused them to fall onto the tracks or how close the next train came to hitting them.
Metro could not provide numbers for how often people fall into the tracks, but Taubenkibel called it a “rare occurrence.” Still, such accidental falls onto the tracks have killed at least four people on the system in just over two years.
Sometimes riders are saved in the nick of time, though. A Metro train operator saved a man’s life in November by stopping her train.
Another rider who fell during President Obama’s 2009 inauguration was saved by a visiting police officer who rolled her into the safety crawl space beneath the platform before a train could hit her. A video of another rescue by riders went viral last year.
Despite the positive outcome of Monday’s rescue, Metro officials don’t encourage riders to jump in to save the day.
“If a situation like that occurs, we recommend customers on the platform should seek the assistance of Metro employees, such as a station manager, contact Metro Transit Police at 202-962-2121 or use the intercom located on the station platform,” Taubenkibel wrote in an email.
Metro has been installing raised, bumpy tiles along platforms to help blind riders feel the edge. The agency has started replacing the slick terra cotta hexagon tiles with textured pavers on some outdoor platforms to make them less slippery when wet.
