FDNY Members Rescue Man Trapped Under Train

Just 10 minutes before a gas explosion leveled a house in Floral Park, Queens on April 24, firefighters from Ladder 116 were called to another major emergency, a man trapped under a train at Northern Boulevard and 36th Street in Long Island City.

“It’s not something I have ever seen before, and I’ve been on the job 20 years,” said Lt. William Kelly from Ladder 116. “It really was incredible. It was emotional, draining and there was a lot of adrenaline involved. ”

Firefighters received the call for a person under a train at 4:41 p.m. And when they arrived at the station, people were frantically waving firefighters to the R train platform.

The victim was under the first car of the train, and Lt. Kelly said when he shined his flashlight in the space between the platform and the train, he could see the man and a lot of blood.

Lt. Kelly said he talked to members of the MTA and asked the company chauffeur to call dispatch about turning off power on the tracks.

He then assigned one firefighter to watch the train’s conductor and the controls to ensure the train would never move. Then, before they knew the track power was off, he and Firefighters Rich LaRocca and Terence Drew jumped onto the tracks.

“It was incredible to see my guys jump down there like that, without hesitation,” said Lt. Kelly. “It really was kind of moving.”

They crawled on their hands and knees about three quarters of the way under the first car and located the person, who had received major trauma, including two broken legs and severe lacerations to the head and neck. Yet the firefighters said they were happy to find the victim was still alive and semi-conscious.

“We knew time was a critical factor in saving this guys life,” Lt. Kelly said.

They put him in a cervical collar and on a backboard. They then dragged him the length of the subway car to the front of the train where they were met by members of FDNY EMS - including EMS Lt. James Furlong, Rescue Paramedics Kimberley Marshall and Mario Ramirez, and EMTs Pedro Acosta and Dennis Rehberger.

The EMS members then packaged the victim and transported him to Bellevue Hospital.

“They were very efficient,” said Lt. Furlong. “It was a hot day but they got the job done.”

Lt. Kelly credited their extensive training for why everything worked so well: “It sounds cliché, but since we train for many different situations like this, at a certain point you just know what you’re supposed to do without thinking.”

Yet at there was no time for the members to discuss the rescue afterwards, they were immediately sent to the scene of the gas explosion in Floral Park.