Blind Man And His Dog Fall Onto Subway Tracks, Survive Being Run Over By Train

A blind man and his dog survived being run over by a train at the 125th Street subway station in New York City Tuesday morning, the MTA confirms.

Witness Ashley Prenza described the incident, which happened at the A train stop at 125th Street and St. Nicolas Avenue a little before 10 a.m. "He was just walking toward the yellow line and all of a sudden and we heard him say, 'Oh no!' and slip and fall onto the tracks," Prenza told Gothamist. "Everyone started scattering to find someone to help him. Someone ran upstairs to find an MTA employee, and others were looking to see if any trains were approaching. The employee told him to stay still. We heard the train coming and everyone started screaming to try and stop the train, but it didn't slow down."

Miraculously, the blind man, who the New York Post has identified as 60-year-old Cecil Williams, and his dog, both survived. According to the MTA, after responders pulled them from underneath the train, both were taken to St. Luke's Hospital.

The certified seeing eye dog, police told the Associated Press, is an 11-year-old black labrador named Orlando.

Witnesses told The Post that Orlando tried to pull Williams from the platform edge before he fell. Once Williams was on the tracks, Orlando jumped down after him.

Prenza told Gothamist that the man and his dog lay flat between the rails, allowing the train to roll over them. Only Williams' face was injured in the accident.

On Saturday, 51-year-old Ralph Mercado fell onto the tracks at the Union Square station as a train approached. He also reportedly lay flat between the rails and survived.

If you ever have the horrible misfortune of falling on the subway tracks, here's what to do.

Correction: A previous version of this article stated that the incident took place at 145th Street. It happened at 125th Street.