BY GABE HERMAN | A young mother’s death in a Midtown subway station while carrying her baby’s stroller down stairs has once again tragically spotlighted the lack of elevators and access in many stations citywide.
On the evening of Mon., Jan. 28, Malaysia Goodson, 22, died after falling in the Seventh Ave. “B/D/E” station, at W. 53rd St., which does not have elevator access. Police responded to the scene at 8 p.m. and found Goodson, who was from Stamford, CT, unconscious and unresponsive on the platform.
Her 1-year-old daughter was found conscious and without serious injuries, and was treated by E.M.S. at the scene.
Goodson was taken to Mt. Sinai West, where she was pronounced dead. Officials said an investigation is ongoing into the incident and cause of death. Two days later, on Wednesday evening, the city medical examiner said the woman’s cause of death was still uncertain but there were initial signs that a preexisting medical condition may have caused the fall.
A GoFundMe online fundraiser has been set up for the infant girl, Rhylee, which will go toward an education fund for her. In the first three days, more than $20,000 had been raised from 632 donors. The page can be found here.
The tragic incident has started a new round of coverage and outrage over the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s lack of elevators in its stations. Currently, about only one-quarter of the city’s 472 stations have elevators.
After the incident, Mayor de Blasio tweeted, “This is a heartbreaking tragedy that never should have happened. The subway system is not accessible for everyone and that’s an environment the M.T.A. should not allow.”
In a statement, the M.T.A. said, in part, “This is an absolutely heartbreaking incident. While the ultimate cause of the event is being investigated by the M.T.A., medical examiner and the N.Y.P.D., we know how important it is to improve accessibility in our system.”
The M.T.A. went on to say that accessibility is a priority in its Fast Forward Plan, and plans to add “up to 50 elevators over the next five years.”
“We believe this is an important issue of practicality and equality, and once accomplished, riders will never be more than two stops away from a station with an elevator,” the authority said.
The advocacy group Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York rallied on Wednesday outside the Seventh Ave. subway station. CIDNY said on Twitter that it has called for greater accessibility in the transit system since 1979.
CIDNY tweeted, “We’re holding a moment of silence in honor of Malaysia Goodson, then calling on Governor Cuomo to make NYC transit accessible for all.”
After a Wed., Jan. 30 Senate Transportation Committee hearing in Albany, state Senator Brad Holyman expressed outrage that the station lacked an elevator in the first place.
“At my urging, the M.T.A. has committed to looking into making accessibility improvements at the station where Malaysia Goodson died in my district,” Hoylman said in a statement. “As a parent who navigates our city’s subways with a stroller, I understand the urgency firsthand. It is unacceptable that a heavily trafficked station in Midtown Manhattan would lack a functioning elevator, and I’ll be counting the days until this project is completed. We can’t afford to wait.”
