THIS is what a power shutoff switch looks like. These are the ones in Toronto, located just on the inside wall of the subway tunnel, within arm's reach of the public platform edge.
Also note, these are APART from the brightly lit ones for normal public use.
These are the kind all subway stations have, at the end of their platforms, because it's a goddamn safety feature and the track crews might need them.
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link to www.flickr.com]
Turning off the switch would not have saved him even if you did it in time. Those lines run on Direct Current and shutting them off would not discharge them. You can shut them off and then walk up and touch them an hour later AND YOU ARE DEAD.
Now, for people saying they should have lifted him up etc... you are all full of shit bleeding heart liberals. If you feel so self important to save "disadvantaged" people's lives, then get your lazy asses over to a shelter or treatment center and start grabbing people and lifting them up there.
So many bullshit artists on this site have millions of solutions but are sitting in a chair typing about their heroism and stoicism.
Herotards. Emergencybuttontards. Solutiontards.
Look at all the HEROTARDS who continue on this thread with their Emergencybuttontardedness. I see a bunch of GLPtarts who never read the threads but simply mutter how their world is perfect since they have all the "answers" and all the time in the world to offer them up online. HAAgreed.
The worst is the desk jockeys claiming the bystanders are murderers. Anyone making such an accusation is a genuine asshole, who clearly does not know shit about shit.
First, I ride the NYC subway virtually every weekday, and I have never seen nor even heard of a cutoff switch. The argument about whether or not there is one in the tunnel is ludicrous. Even if there is, 99.9% of subway riders don't know about it, so it's a moot point.
Secondly, especially at 34th/Penn, which is a byzantine maze, it is not easy to reliably find an officer. it's not like there is a gendarme, leaning on a nightstick, tipping his hat to the ladies, on every platform. There is probably an intercom button some place on the platform, but it would certainly take the average person a couple of minutes to find it.
Third, for all the self-confidence espoused here, the fact is most people in these situations freeze. It is just human nature. Your brain has a hard time switching from its daily humdrum habit to fully acknowledge the emergency. This is a very well-known psychological phenomenon and has contributed in the past to worse outcomes in subway emergencies.
Finally, speaking as a big, strong guy who has done plenty of physical lifting, trying to help someone onto a platform is a difficult task - you do not have much leverage, but it is normally possible since the individual is trying to climb out at the same time. Lifting dead weight is very difficult. Lifting a person who is resisting is basically impossible. This guy was resisting. Trying to do more than hold him would have ended up with someone else down on the tracks.
Speaking as someone who has dealt with emergencies in other parts of the world, Americans are actually exceptionally good at dealing with situations where strangers are in harm's way and will typically make much greater personal risks to aid them. This is not a slight against Europeans - Europeans typically also react well, although to be honest, not as courageously as Americans. It's a cultural thing. Both cultures are much more encouraging of personal risk to help strangers than most cultures in the world.
