Blogable Antics, aka Crazy Shit on the New York Subway
Preface:
I've posted this other places, so you might have read it. It happend this morning (2/5/07) as I got in the Subway. I was a little shook up for the rest of the day. I'm glad New Yorkers are not the assholes everyone says they are though. I'm a little proud to be able to call myself one (at at least look forward to being called one)
Setting: Grand Central Station, 4/5/6/7 Subway Entrance.
Up/Down escalator and stairs, very crowded.
as I approach said escalator to descend into the bowls of New York City, I notice something. A woman, in a wheelchair, missing a leg (I think both actually), disheveled, probably homeless, crazy, or both.
She's actually a little too close to the stairs for my taste, I should probably tell her to go to the elevator. I don't know where it is, and she looks like she might harm me, so I think nothing of it and continue down.
As I reach the bottom, I hear screams and crashing. Turning around, I see this woman pinned under her chair face down on the moving escalator (Shouts of "STOP THE ESCALATOR" can be heard).
Quickly, I fumble with the red button and stop the dam thing, whereupon a half-dozen busy New Yorkers, proceed to lift the chair up and put it at the bottom, repeat for the woman, and then finally her spilled belongings.
A gentleman and I run and grab a transit cop, and within a minute medics are on the scene treating the womans bleeding face. I hesitate for a few seconds to make sure everything is ok, and then continue to catch my 4/5 express to city hall as if nothing happened.
And I want to put some emphasis here. Everyone who was on that escalator (or nearly everyone so far as I could tell) did their part to help this woman. (I'm sure some just walked off, but to see 6 people carry this woman off the escalator does make me feel very good about humanity, I'm glad I could do my part)
The first hour after the ordeal, I ask myself why I could not do more.
Within three I realize, there were plenty of people helping, and if I had told her about the elevator she probably would have snapped.
NYC Subway=Crazy shit.
I've posted this other places, so you might have read it. It happend this morning (2/5/07) as I got in the Subway. I was a little shook up for the rest of the day. I'm glad New Yorkers are not the assholes everyone says they are though. I'm a little proud to be able to call myself one (at at least look forward to being called one)
Setting: Grand Central Station, 4/5/6/7 Subway Entrance.
Up/Down escalator and stairs, very crowded.
as I approach said escalator to descend into the bowls of New York City, I notice something. A woman, in a wheelchair, missing a leg (I think both actually), disheveled, probably homeless, crazy, or both.
She's actually a little too close to the stairs for my taste, I should probably tell her to go to the elevator. I don't know where it is, and she looks like she might harm me, so I think nothing of it and continue down.
As I reach the bottom, I hear screams and crashing. Turning around, I see this woman pinned under her chair face down on the moving escalator (Shouts of "STOP THE ESCALATOR" can be heard).
Quickly, I fumble with the red button and stop the dam thing, whereupon a half-dozen busy New Yorkers, proceed to lift the chair up and put it at the bottom, repeat for the woman, and then finally her spilled belongings.
A gentleman and I run and grab a transit cop, and within a minute medics are on the scene treating the womans bleeding face. I hesitate for a few seconds to make sure everything is ok, and then continue to catch my 4/5 express to city hall as if nothing happened.
And I want to put some emphasis here. Everyone who was on that escalator (or nearly everyone so far as I could tell) did their part to help this woman. (I'm sure some just walked off, but to see 6 people carry this woman off the escalator does make me feel very good about humanity, I'm glad I could do my part)
The first hour after the ordeal, I ask myself why I could not do more.
Within three I realize, there were plenty of people helping, and if I had told her about the elevator she probably would have snapped.
NYC Subway=Crazy shit.
posted by Matthew Kramer at 10:46 PM
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