Terrifying Photos Of Man Caught Between Train And Platform

Dude, I'm really glad the phrase "drinking before the incident" no longer applies to me...

" it took 20 minutes for a contractor who knew how to work the extender's hydraulics to arrive"

I feel bad for the crushed man.

Didn't they do an episode of Homicide with Vincent D'Onofrio being caught between a train and the platform? It was a solid platform so there wasn't much chance he'd live after they jacked the train up. It was a pretty horrendous episode so I can empathize with Mr. Dion. I'm amazed he survived and I'm appalled at how long it took for someone to release the retractable platform.

This man happens to be a relative of mine and is one of the most caring and amazing people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. To the people that have some compassion for the PERSON that he is I just want to say thank you. It saddens me to see how heartless some people in this world can be. Some of the comments I have read on some website from people who think they have some idea about who this person is or what happened to him HAVE BEEN HORRIBLE and it breaks my heart. To just assume that this man was drunk is an insult, just because there was an accident doesn't mean he was out getting hammered before hand. This is a person with a FAMILY and A LOT of people who love him very much and are suffering from this. I wouldn't wish this kind of tragedy on anyones family and to see how some people feel like its ok to bad mouth this wonderful mad and make jokes about this horrific accident. It breaks my heart to see just how cold this world really is. To Mr Day if you truly did try and help him then i THANK YOU but the fact that pictures you took of this man have been posted everywhere for this mans family and parents to see is disrespectful. How would you feel to see pictures of yourself or a family member of yours in the most painful situation of there life posted on the front page of a newspaper like some spectical. Those photos never should have been taken and put out there for the world to see. To the people who have this amazing man and our family in there prayers I thank you. IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US ALL!

We will see just how upset the victim and his family are about Mr. Day's photos when they are being entered into evidence in the inevitable civil suit against the MTA for damages. Don't forget to thank Day for documenting the incident to your financial benefit. (/sarcasm)

what a fucking dick you are. hope you get mangled in some horrible accident.

Well i am Mr.Day i happened to google the story and i found this article. I could not help as there were 10 or so people trying to help when i got off the train. When i took the photo's from my camera i had happened to have on me going to a party the police were already on the scene and i was on the steps so it's not i could of helped anymore than the rest of the people who had tried. The man was pinned and like i told the post anyone who tried to move him was only hurting him even more. I can understand some people angry at me but it's not like i had the camera up in his face and it's not like i could do anything to help. I also didn't sell any photo's to this site as i've never even heard of it and you can see that the pictures are via the ny post. What a lot of people don't realize from the pictures is that there were tons of people on the platform watching after the few people who tried to help stopped and were told to move back by the police.

You're a loser and a scum bag. Your argument is essentially "well lots of other people were doing it. I wasn't the only one." Just shut up already. You are just making it worse for yourself.

So why exactly did you take the pictures? Nothing you've said has convinced me that you aren't a total piece of shit. The next time you come across a similar situation, KEEP YOUR CAMERA IN YOUR POCKET. It's the least you can do for a fellow human being.

So, you didn't sell any photos to this site...but, what about the Post: how much did they pay? They approached you, so you say, but how did they find out you had pictures of this?

As a caregiver for a Parkinson's patient who takes her
to that same subway station to the hospital on Union Square.
I wonder why if the man that was even as the NYPD states"drunk or drinking"
why might he have been more accident prone for this event
then that of a slow walking senior citizen or as my mate a PD patient
or even the blind person we see ride the subway cars.

Is it not the timing of this "safety"device that might have been off trapping this man?
Just curious.

This is a good point. I have noticed lately that every time an incident that might make the city or the NYPD look bad is in the media, someone is always sure to mention the victim's possible impairment and/or criminal record.

I don't see any signs there telling people to use a different station if they have been drinking, so IMHO the onus is still on the MTA for those extenders being unsafe.

Agree - as an able body, sober commuter very familiar with that platform, I've been shoved into dangerous positions on the hydraulic portion. It's always seemed dangerous, and I'm so sorry to hear that this gentleman's safety was so compromised. The fact that it took 30 min for them to get him out safely is horrific, and I really hope this is being researched and resolved with urgent priority.

"They were taken by witness Mike Day, who at least attempted to help free Dion before snapping the shots."

What a piece of shit. Why would you take a picture of someone in agony and on the brink of death? It doesn't even matter that you couldn't help him same him some dignity and don't take a picture of him potentially taking his last breath. I bet you were so excited to run home and send it into Gothamist or put it on your Facebook as a proud reminder that you were a part of a crazy NYC event.

medicnyc, know of what you speak before you speak

Do you have a point to make?

Never even heard of this site until today. 2nd if you read the pics are via the post. 3rd i was contacted by the post not the other way around. Also you should be mad at the 2 or 3 mta workers or the mta itself for not properly training their employees on how to release the moving platform in case something like this happened. The workers there had no damn clue on what to do. If they are working in that station or working on trains that go through that station they should of had some kind of knowledge on how to release it.

Duplicate post sorry

You are a self righteous piece of shit. You are standing there videotaping him TRAPPED there. Unless there is another part of the video where you show him either falling or getting pushed you are just another asshole.

There's also a possible option B... Mr. Day could've taken the photos for Mr. Dion as evidence of what happened. The turth of the matter is, we don't know why Mr. Day took the photos until he's personally asked about his line of reasoning - but considering it's noted he tried to help first, I'd give him (Mr. Day) the benefit of the doubt first.

Yes, sometimes pictures or videos can be useful. Ask Christopher Long if he was happy somebody took video of his encounter with (former) officer Pat Pogan. Or for those old enough to remember, significant history was captured because Abraham Zapruder kept filming after JFK was shot. Not to mention the still chilling video of the second jet punching into the WTC.

I hope the alcohol dulled some pain. I hope people would take car service or taxis when partying this holiday.

It seems like if we're going to keep paying more for subway fares, they should at least have SOMEBODY in the busiest stations who knows how to release the extendable platforms. Not a contractor who takes 20 minutes to get there from somewhere else. Next time there's a community meeting to raise the price of a metrocard, I hope somebody brings this article.

omg :(

Jeez, yikes. Nothing to say about that besides ouch. Note to drunken commuting Mordicai: MIND THE GAP.

Union Square?! It took 30 minutes to get the guy out of a known accident in the CENTER of the MTA's network?

Let me guess. His life wasn't worth the expense of using the Jaws of Life & replacing the train car.

are you an EMT/ Rescue Paramedic?
could it be that part of that time was prepping him to be moved AFTER he was released?
one of the NYPD transit centers is literally right upstairs from the N/R platform, less than 60 yards down the transfer tunnel from the 4/5/6 platform-- guaranteed there were PROFESSIONALS assessing the matter within 2 minutes.
there's plenty to criticize in Bloomberg's NYC-- lt's not crap on working folk who actually give a ratf*ck

So the guy's crushed between a train and a platform--in unbelievable pain--and yet forced to hide his face because people are snapping pictures? How unbelievably disgusting. There's a special place in hell waiting for you, Mike Day. (You'll be joined by the person at Gothamist who decided to post this picture.) May your most terrifying, life-threatening, and humiliating moments be captured on camera, too!

You sound like someone who supported the Bush/Cheney regime's banning photos of Americans' coffins returning from Iraq & Afghanistan, and 30 other simpletons agree with you, no less! (Did it occur to you he's probably holding his face because he's in pain???)

Accidents likes this are highly newsworthy events that need to be documented for evidence & proof, & to inform the general public of such dangerous situations!!!

When his lawyer sues the MTA those pictures will be exhibit A, B, C and D.

You think that is why his hands are over his face in one picture, because of the camera?

The photo of the shooting at Kent State was awful. The photo of Vietcong operative Nguyen Van Lem being shot was awful. People take photos of terrible things.

that is a touchy subject, snapping pictures at sensitive incidents and victims. on the one hand, some people just want to be informed as much as possible, and on the other hand, there are assholes whose only idea of pleasure is watching others suffer because their lives otherwise suck shit -- and we are living in new york.

i declare whoever posted the pic is most likely innocent -- not all people are assholes. to assume that they were behaving as assholes is nothing more than jumping the gun, unless you see them laughing at the victim (and this does happen! look at the cop-article today where people were indeed laughing at him.)

personally, don't normal human beings grow out of derision and ridicule by the age 18? oh yeah, i live in new york -- nevermind.

Not one for exploiting people in dire situations, I figure the guy probably has his head in his hands because what other posture would suit being in such extreme pain? I doubt I'd be able to hold my own head up, in any similar scenario. And the photographer at least tried to help him, first...

I agree, it's pretty gauche to snap cell phone pictures, but I don't think your argument against it is totally validated in this case.

Perhaps you're right about the position and the photographer. (Neither of us will ever know for sure.) But posting the picture on a for-profit site, where it is intended to generate page views is certainly exploiting a person in a dire situation. So apologies, Mike. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. (Though you don't deserve it.) Gothamist, you're still on the hook.

Let's see...so far this morning on Gothamist, we've been able to see two people getting down and dirty on the subway (one photo, we are warned, is 'NSFW') and now, a man wedged between the grate and the train at Union Sq. I ask: is the proliferation of cell phone cameras a good thing or a bad thing? Can no one be assured of any privacy or dignity any more?

As for this incident, there can be no doubt that the victim's judgment was in some way impaired, perhaps by alcohol. This simply doesn't happen enough to be the kind of risk for normal travelers we might be led to believe.

Cell phone cameras are handy, as the scene of an accident or crime can change, so the more photo-takers present the better assessment one can have should there be a case of evidence-tampering.

I got into a fender-bender a few months back, where I smacked into the back of a van at about 5mph in slow traffic and luckily I snapped a photo of the van's back when I pretended to check my phone to see if I could call the highway patrol.

When the highway patrol arrived the guy said the back of his van was now no longer able to close the back doors. I snapped another pic, as his van had a business number on it.

When I got home and sent the pics to my insurance company, I noticed something... The first pic I took the van had a strap holding the back doors close, but the second pic after the patrol car arrived had no strap. I pointed this out to the insurance company (GEICO) and they took note, as they sent out there agent to assess the damage.

This MFer decided to say his van had additional dents and damage, but luckily my photos sent showed how the van looked, and some of the damages on the parts in my photos don't match. Needless to say my insurance stayed the same, the company didn't have to pay for anything and now the business owner is in deep-s***!

So yes, cell phone cameras, photo and video, can be a boon, if used properly. The question is, when is it morally and ethically, correct to use one.

It is very possbile this man was drinking but I can tell you I NEVER board the train at Union Square where the extenders are because they are in fact DANGEROUS. On more than one occasion in my early 20's I have tripped boarding the 4 or 5 train and found my foot between that large ass gap even after the extenders are fully extended. We don't know if he was drinking, the MTA could have leaked that to cover it's ass. The platform at Union Square has long been dangerous, don't go blaming the victim until he can speak for himself and fill in the blanks. I hope dude is all right in the long run.

I can't believe people tried to pull him out. There's obviously not much of a gap there. He survived because it's his soft abdomen being compressed by the extender. There's no way they could have pulled his pelvis through the narrow gap.

So horrible, this is the thing you have nightmares about.

That's friggin hideous. He's lucky though it was by one of those extenders and not between the train and the platform, where he would have been crushed to death.

"He's lucky though it was by one of those extenders and not between the train and the platform"

On the other hand, it probably wouldn't have happened at all if not for those extenders.

he was conscious the whole time?? for half an hour?? ow ow OOWW...!

if only weed were legal...

So, are we going to hold a contest like the rat in the sidewalk?

I'm only speaking for myself here, but let's afford him a little human dignity.