Wesley Autrey
That's a brave man.
Wow.
Angels amongst us.
A true hero. A good quality to contemplate at the start of a New Year.
I'm impressed... I'd like to think I could be so brave.
That took a ton of nerve.
http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=65571
Samaritan Risks Life To Save Man On Subway Tracks
January 02, 2007
A Good Samaritan jumped onto the tracks at a Manhattanville subway station at 137th Street and Broadway this afternoon to save the life of a stranger who had fallen after having an apparent seizure.
The man stumbled off the platform onto the tracks, where he could have been killed if not for the heroic efforts of 50-year-old Wesley Autrey who did the unthinkable, jumping onto the tracks with a train approaching.
"He was stuck and I was like, 'Wow. Do I struggle here?' If I got him up, then I would have to go for the ground. And I didn't have that much time. So I just went for the gutter thing," said Autrey. "I just dove on top of him and held him down, cause I knew there would be enough clearance for us."
Autrey, a construction worker who lives in the neighborhood, grabbed the man and pinned him down in the gutter between the running rails while a downtown 1 train passed overhead, miraculously leaving both men without a scratch.
"I had to have the guy pinned down, because like I said, he was in a seizure," said Autrey. "He was incoherent. He was fighting, pushing and pushing against me. So I had to lock myself down, so he wouldn't push me back, and possibly my head get hit."
Autrey's two young daughters, ages four and six, who were with him at the time of the incident, watched in horror while the situation unfolded. When the train finally came to a stop, Autrey called out to them to let them know he was alive.
Autrey guessed there was maybe an inch or inch and a half clearance between his head and the underside of the train.
"Remember, the gutter maybe got like a 12-inch drop. So his body fitted in there perfectly. And I just laid on top of him, and had to pin him down," he said.
The man Autrey saved was taken to St. Luke's hospital as a precautionary measure, where he is listed in stable condition. He is expected to be recover.
When asked if he considers himself a hero, Autrey said absolutely not. He said he was just doing what he thinks anyone else would do.
"No, I don't consider myself a hero," he said. "I just went to someone's aid. Someone who was in need of help."
WoW
Hero.
A hero he is and God Bless him for saving a life but what a chance he took given that additional piece of information.
? How did he know this beforehand? What a brave fellow.
I remember a story like this when Reagan was president. a man on his way to a job interview saved a person on the subway tracks. President Reagan heard the story and called the factory where the interview took place. The hero got the job. I sure miss President Reagan!
I used to live in NYC and loved the subway, but I always had a healthy respect for it and stood well back from the edge of the platform when a train was coming into the station.
Being run over, mangled is bad enough, but it was the third rail that scarred the bejeezus out of me.
I actually saw a drunk one night, jump down on the tracks, step over two 3rd rails and walk across another set of tracks and climb up on the other platform. Somebody was watching over him that night. I actually turned away expecting to hear a loud zzzzzapp!
Twas a brave man that Wesley Autrey that jumped down on the tracks and save that young man. He must be kin to Gene.
Incredible video news story and interview with the Autrey at the link. Apparently he's a Navy veteran. What a brave person.
http://www.wnbc.com/index.html
Wow. Incredible bravery!
Now that's what I call a guardian angel!
OMG, and with the other guy fighting and trying to lift up to get Autrey off him... There's NO WAY ON EARTH I would've had the guts to do what he did. Unbelievable. Guy definitely deserves a WHOLE BUNCH of medals!
Wesley Autrey is my hero. Brave and smart.