Installation of Mechanical Platform Doors Could Prevent Subway Fatalities

Jackie ONeal December 21, 2009

On the night of Dec. 14, 2009, my son never returned home to his loving family, as they eagerly waited for him.

At approximately 7:30 PM, my son, Shem O'Neal Herman, age 33, was struck by a subway train at the 110th street and Cathedral Parkway Station in Manhattan.

He had jumped onto the tracks to retrieve his iPod which had fallen. His mind appeared to have played a fatal trick on him, as it appeared he miscalculated the actual distance of the oncoming train, and he died instantly. He leaves behind a devoted wife and 2 year old son.

I know there have been similar fatalities in the New York subway. A recent report estimated that most of the deaths that occur in the subway are due to sickness, accident, or suicide.

The report went on to say "the Metropolitan Transit Authority does not keep these statistics, and undoubtedly many cases go unreported, so the stats are extremely difficult to ascertain."

Chuck Bennett, a New York reporter asserted that, in a review of news stories and police reports filed in 2006, he found that "23 people had died in the subway during the year. "Natural causes" or illness accounted for the largest number, five were accidents, and another five were suicides."

Recently, a study conducted by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health revealed that about half of the accidental fatality victims in the subway system were inebriated. The study estimated that of the 315 people who accidentally died between 1990 and 2003, 46% had high levels of alcohol. The report further showed that unintentional deaths accounted for 47.2% of all subway deaths, according to information from the medical examiner. As a result, NYC Transit appears to be considering a public campaign about the dangers of drinking and riding the subway.

And I cannot neglect to mention the deaths of two MTA employees, Daniel Boggs and Marvin Franklin, who perished on the subway tracks just within days of each other in the Spring of 2007. According to a report issued by the MTA, statistics estimate 238 NYC subway workers have been killed in work accidents since 1946. The report went on to demonstrate that in the majority of cases, the victim was hit by a train while working on the tracks, but many have also been electrocuted on the third rail and numerous others have died from falls. Such reports are a horrific reminder of exactly how dangerous the subway tracks are, and how vulnerable the victims.

What isn't clear to me is what the MTA plans to do about making the subway a safer place for passengers. Mayor Bloomberg needs to make it a priority to consider the installation of platform mechanical doors to act as a barrier between oncoming trains and passengers about to board trains, and also protect passengers from sudden falls, or suicides. This is a safety feature that will prevent precious lives like my son's-- from being lost.

Although I have heard a project of this scope will about 2 million dollars per station, Bloomberg should keep the proposal for installing mechanical doors, on the top of his agenda. Cities around the world are already enjoying safety in their respective subway systems, as a result of this type of technology we have at our disposal today.

Recent budget cuts would appear to make a project of this magnitude, difficult to realize.

In light of budget cuts affecting the MTA, a NYPRIG staff attorney said in a forum, that the financial mess is not of the MTA's making, but rather actions by you, Governor Paterson and the state Legislature have caused the MTA's fiscal problems, which include a budget cut of $143 million to the MTA and a last-minute shortfall of $200 million in proceeds from a new payroll tax dedicated to the MTA.

He went on to say, the Straphangers Campaign believes the MTA has the resources to prevent the service cuts, especially if it uses available federal stimulus funds and capital funds now coming out of the operating budget

If the City of New York fails to consider progressive steps to upgrade safety features in the subway to keep its people safe from harm, we will continue to have the victim's blood on our hands.