Subway Suicide Thwarted

JAN 11, 2007, NEW YORK: Daniel Fitzpatrick, 38, joined the growing list of New York City heroes when he saved a woman from throwing herself in front of a subway train in Brooklyn.

Mr. Fitzpatrick, an emergency medical technician, had finished work and was in the Flushing Ave. J train station. Still in his FDNY jacket, he was approached by another commuter who tapped his shoulder and said, "FDNY, I think this lady is going to jump."

Mr. Fitzpatrick turned and saw that a woman was climbing down off of the waiting platform to a utility platform close to the tracks.

With a subway train approaching, Fitzpatrick scrambled down to the woman.

The off-duty EMT hugged the woman's body, wrapping his arms and right leg around her while keeping one of his hands on a railing and one leg planted on the ground.

Placing his body towards the tracks he used his strength to keep the woman on the platform while the train approached.

She resisted and tried to fight him. Fitzpatrick said the woman "leaned her weight on me, trying to push me onto the tracks."

He struggled to keep both of them out of the train's path but his head remained in danger of being struck.

Bystanders, including the young man who alerted Mr. Fitzpatrick to the woman, lent assistance by reaching from the platform and holding the EMT's head away from the path of the oncoming train.

The woman continued to struggle as the subway train passed and tried to touch the electrified rail.

Police arrived shortly after the ordeal began and the woman was taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment.

Mr. Fitzpatrick was unharmed and continued to his home in Franklin Square, Long Island.

The woman has not been identified nor has any information about her care been released.

Mr. Fitzpatrick's daring rescue comes just weeks after Wesley Autrey, a 50-year-old Vietnam War veteran, risked his life to save a teenager who had fallen into the path of an oncoming subway train.

Mr. Autrey was dubbed the "Subway Superhero" and given New York City's highest civilian honor. The city and high-profile citizens including Donald Trump rewarded Autrey with money and other gifts in recognition of his heroism.

Daniel Fitzpatrick's courageous action has received much less media coverage and has not as of yet been officially recognized by the city of New York.

Fitzpatrick just hopes to find the man who alerted him to the situation and also held his head out of the train's path.

The hero said, "I feel very lucky that I didn't get hurt, that the bystanders, and the patient herself didn't get hurt. Everybody got off. We all got pretty lucky."

Sources:

"EMT Worker Hailed for Saving a Woman from Subway Tracks" NY1 News, Jan 14, 2007

"EMT stops a suicide inches from J train" Michael White, Daily News, Jan 12, 2007