What Should You Do If You Fall Into The Subway Tracks And A Train Is Coming?

It may be something you’ve asked yourself when you’re on the subway: what would happen if I accidentally fell onto the tracks and a train was coming? On Sunday, we told you about a woman who faced just such a dilemma and lived to tell the tale.

Theresa Kelly tripped and fell at the Spadina subway station, plunging head first onto the rails below. To her horror, a train was making its approach straight into the area where she was lying helpless. With seconds to spare and refusing to panic, the 46-year-old mother of four managed to roll into the one area where the train would miss her and somehow stayed there motionless until it passed by.

She wound up with a cut on her head, some broken ribs and a bruised hip – but against all odds, she’s still alive.

So what should you do if you’re ever confronted with a similar nightmare? Here are the scenarios and advice from the TTC.

You Drop Something On The Tracks

Do not, under any circumstances, go down to get it. The gap is deeper than it seems and there’s no way of knowing if a train is coming around the bend at any minute. Don’t make the assumption you’ll be safe and can get back up in time, even if the subway has just left the station.

What to do: Go upstairs to the collector’s booth immediately and tell the person inside. They’ll contact emergency personnel who will try and retrieve whatever you lost. Spokesman Brad Ross tells CityNews.ca that while it’s possible your item will be crushed by the train, “it’s better that than you.”

And it doesn’t matter what it is. “Some people will jump down to get something … thinking that they have lots of time,” Ross concludes. “Really it’s a roll of the dice.”

You Fall On The Tracks And There’s No Train Visible

It’s about 4-5 feet from the edge of the platform down to track level, and for some people, climbing out isn’t easy.

What to do: If you’re able to get out, do it as quickly as possible. If not, call for others to activate the power cut emergency override. “At both ends of the platform there are power-off switches,” Ross points out.  “Push those … turn off the power to the third rail, and then go up to the collector’s booth … and they’ll call 911 and emergency personnel will rescue you.”

Remember to tell someone in authority why you did what you did. Pressing that button for no reason can result in a huge fine and a jail term.

You Fall On The Tracks And The Train Is Coming

It’s the worst case scenario. You venture too close to the edge or it’s slippery in wet or wintry weather and you lose your balance. The important thing is not to panic and remember what to do next. Don’t try and beat the train. You could lose your life, an arm, a leg or both, or suffer other catastrophic injuries.

What to do: Your best bet, as strange as it sounds, is to stay put. “There is space between the track and underneath the platform, there’s a lip,” Ross outlines. “If you can roll under there and stay as close to the wall as possible, that’s your best option.”

The space is only 2 feet from you to the track and tons of heavy subway cars. But claustrophobic or not, it’s your only chance to avoid being run over. And while it won’t seem like it, the train won’t be there for long.

Whatever you do in any of the situations, be sure to avoid the third rail, which is covered by two boards as a reminder of its danger. It carries 600 volts, enough to provide a fatal shock you won’t be able to escape from.

Ross admits this kind of scenario isn’t frequent, but it happens more often than you’d think. The TTC estimates it deals with this kind of emergency at least twice a year. And knowing what to do can be the difference between life and death.

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