The 39-year-old man who jumped in front of a packed Orange Line train Tuesday evening, bringing the whole line to a standstill, was hospitalized in serious condition as of Wednesday morning, according to Metro.
The man, who lives in McLean, apparently walked to the end of the platform at Clarendon station on the Orange Line just before 5 p.m., then jumped into the path of an oncoming train, Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said. Cameras on the platform and the operator of the train indicate it was intentional, he said.
The man, whose name was not released, was struck, but then stuck underneath the first rail car, authorities said. He suffered head injuries and multiple broken bones.
But because he jumped at the start of the train, the rest of the train remained in the tunnel and none of the riders aboard it could exit. Some 800 to 900 riders were stuck, without lights or air conditioning, for more than hour as rescue workers tried to free the man.
“The train was the safest place for them to be,” Stessel said.
Additionally, because workers had to shut off power to the tracks to get the man, train service was halted in both directions not only at Clarendon, but also between Ballston and Rosslyn. That in turn delayed trains along the entire Orange Line and also slowed the westbound Blue Line trains.
Metro set up a shuttle service connecting riders between the five affected stations during the busiest period of the evening rush. Full train service resumed just before 8 p.m.
