There have been few recent postings to this site where I provide links to published reports of fatal and near-fatal track "accidents" that the police never investigated as possible homicides.
I suspect that, although several fatal track events probably occurred, the NYPD/MTA bosses had decided not to routinely inform local media. I do not know if they were motivated to do that to prevent me from posting strongly-worded doubt of the "accident" classification but if they were, they have been successful.
Readers who think I am overly suspicious of the NYPD/MTA's control of the news are invited to explain why the stupendous one-year total of twenty-four fatal "accidents" in 2012 was followed by near-zero numbers in the immediately subsequent years.
Now, suddenly, the NYPD/MTA seems to have reinstated the practice of advising media of "accidental" deaths and near-deaths.
On "Monday night" (per the Daily News, he was "walking between cars"about 11 p.m.) April 29th a man in his thirties lost an arm and both legs when struck by a train in Queens. The New York Post reported that criminality is not suspected by (presumably) the NYPD
At 1:00 a.m. April 30th according to the May 1st Daily News ( a man "walking between cars" on a train approaching the W 79th Street station "slipped and fell" under the wheels. He was taken to St. Luke's Hospital in critical condition.
Also from the May 1st Daily News: at 3:10 a.m. on April 30th a seventy-six-year-old man "fell" from a Grand Central platform and was critically injured after being struck by a train
At 5:10 a.m. on May 3rd a sixty-year-old man was struck and killed by a train at the East 28th Street and Park Avenue station. The New York Post wrote that he had "stumbled" onto the tracks and that the (always predictable) NYPD said "no criminality was suspected."
On May 4th at about 3:45 a.m. a 34 year-old man was injured after falling to the tracks while "walking between cars."
Update. On Monday May 6th yet another man fell between cars to his death at 9:15 a.m. at the Bronx's Jackson Avenue station. A northbound train at that station at that time probably was not jammed with rush hour passengers.
Commentary
Having used the subway for years and having walked between cars hundreds of times I know it is impossible to accidentally fall to the tracks. The safety chains in place even prevented a corpse from reaching the tracks and when the murderer of Tanya Middleton decided to throw her off the train he first had to detach the safety chain.
I suspect that, although several fatal track events probably occurred, the NYPD/MTA bosses had decided not to routinely inform local media. I do not know if they were motivated to do that to prevent me from posting strongly-worded doubt of the "accident" classification but if they were, they have been successful.
Readers who think I am overly suspicious of the NYPD/MTA's control of the news are invited to explain why the stupendous one-year total of twenty-four fatal "accidents" in 2012 was followed by near-zero numbers in the immediately subsequent years.
Now, suddenly, the NYPD/MTA seems to have reinstated the practice of advising media of "accidental" deaths and near-deaths.
On "Monday night" (per the Daily News, he was "walking between cars"about 11 p.m.) April 29th a man in his thirties lost an arm and both legs when struck by a train in Queens. The New York Post reported that criminality is not suspected by (presumably) the NYPD
At 1:00 a.m. April 30th according to the May 1st Daily News ( a man "walking between cars" on a train approaching the W 79th Street station "slipped and fell" under the wheels. He was taken to St. Luke's Hospital in critical condition.
Also from the May 1st Daily News: at 3:10 a.m. on April 30th a seventy-six-year-old man "fell" from a Grand Central platform and was critically injured after being struck by a train
At 5:10 a.m. on May 3rd a sixty-year-old man was struck and killed by a train at the East 28th Street and Park Avenue station. The New York Post wrote that he had "stumbled" onto the tracks and that the (always predictable) NYPD said "no criminality was suspected."
On May 4th at about 3:45 a.m. a 34 year-old man was injured after falling to the tracks while "walking between cars."
Update. On Monday May 6th yet another man fell between cars to his death at 9:15 a.m. at the Bronx's Jackson Avenue station. A northbound train at that station at that time probably was not jammed with rush hour passengers.
Commentary
Having used the subway for years and having walked between cars hundreds of times I know it is impossible to accidentally fall to the tracks. The safety chains in place even prevented a corpse from reaching the tracks and when the murderer of Tanya Middleton decided to throw her off the train he first had to detach the safety chain.
