Student jumps on subway tracks to save man

A George Brown College plumbing student is in the spotlight after he jumped on the subway tracks at St. George station to save a man who had fallen.

Dwight Orchard, 23, originally from Bracebridge, was walking down the steps to the southbound platform around 12:20 p.m. on Tuesday, when he saw a man stumble and fall off the platform.

Orchard hopped down onto the tracks and lifted the man who had fallen to safety.

“Seeing the train, I was like, ‘Oh my God. This is not happening.’ Threw my bag down [and] just jumped,” Orchard said.

“It was just happening so fast and the only thing I was thinking was, ‘Get him outta there.’”

Meanwhile, a TTC employee who saw the incident cut power to the third rail to prevent electrocution and stop approaching trains.

Emergency crews were called to the scene, but the victim had only a cut to his hand.

“We are thankful and appreciate his efforts to help a fellow citizen, though we don’t encourage people to go down to track level,” TTC spokesman Brad Ross told CityNews.

“It’s very dangerous and could have been very tragic … Let professionals manage the situation. We don’t want to see anyone get hurt.”

Ross said if passengers see someone fall onto the tracks, they can cut the power themselves at one of two stations at either end of each subway platform. They can also alert the collector using the intercom in designated waiting areas or use the payphone to call 911.

He also suggests people let the collector know if they drop something on the tracks. A TTC employee will retrieve the item for them.

Subways were delayed for about seven minutes during the incident on Tuesday. It appears the man who fell on the tracks may have been drinking.