I live in the sticks and have never been near a subway or a platform, and I mean no disrespect to the victim here.
But it appears to me that he is standing next to the chest-high platform. Am I seeing it wrong—is it possible that he is not standing but rather dangling?—or is it really the case that he is unable to pull himself up over a four-and-a-half-foot ledge?
Is the surface possibly very slippery? Or perhaps it happened in a split-second? The still photo makes it look like he is standing and contemplating his fate.
Fear will often freeze people. Also, he was 58, and it would take quite a bit of upper arm strength to pull yourself out, assuming there were no grippy surfaces for the hands or feet.
See #58.
It’s easy enough to avoid getting hit if one is not paralyzed in fear and has at least a couple of seconds to move.