WARMINGTON: TTC subway heroes help save man on tracks

· Toronto Sun

This had the look of potential disaster.

A man jumped down from the TTC Donlands Station subway platform to track level and started walk into the tunnel carrying what at first blush looked like a red gas can. It was an odd sight.

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If you see something, say something. Or, as in the case of Toronto independent journalist and lawyer Caryma Sa’d and her videographer Lee, do something. What they did was help save a man’s life on the subway. And, perhaps, that lives of streetcar drivers and passengers, too.

TTC security, special constables and Toronto Police stepped up big Sunday, too.

They spotted a man who had made his way down to track level and Lee could be heard on video passionately saying “don’t do it, man.” But the guy jumping between the tracks disappeared into the darkness.

“I noticed the TTC security people wince,” Caryma said.

The middle section is where the third rail electrical pickups are, and one touch could mean instant death. A train coming into the station could have been lethal as well.

They took emergency precautions

Lee and Caryma knew what to do. On the side wall of the station, there is a special button that, once pressed, stops everything from moving in and out of that station.

“We cut the power,” Caryma said.

It was their only move to give this man a fighting chance. She then got on a special phone secured to a wall, next to the panic button, and called an emergency operator for help. That help came very fast. First, it was TTC safety and security staff, and then police. They walked the tunnel and put the unidentified man in handcuffs.

The red object he carried down appeared to be a bag with the man’s belongings and nothing troublesome. Better to be safe than sorry.

Caryma and Lee are out covering the streets and protests most days and have seen many things. They have, themselves, been victims of assault. They have great talent and courage to get the pictures and videos they get — whether it’s a fight or arrest at a protest, someone giving another the middle finger, or Toronto Police delivering coffee to protesters, which ended up being the classic “double, double standard” Toronto Sun front page.

All they needed were capes

Like most journalists, sometimes the authorities love them and other times, they don’t. I always like them because at the core of it, they love Toronto and all the different characters in it on their good days or their bad days.

Caryma and Lee tell all sides, as it is. And they back it all up by doing great work. But this was something extra special.

Instead of cameras, all they needed were capes. But both are humble and shared the kudos — saying they were most impressed with the police and TTC’s efficiency and compassion.

“They all did such a great job,” Sa’d said. “They didn’t hesitate.”

Police and TTC special constables removed the man from the platform and took him up some stairs to be interviewed and for potential medical assistance. Help is available for him, should he need it.

Toronto Police have not yet commented on this investigation, but the TTC said “the incident resulted in a 15-minute delay to service with shuttle buses deployed between Woodbine and Broadview.”

Spokesperson Stuart Green tells the Toronto Sun this “was reported as a trespasser at track level around 10:20 p.m. on Sunday” and when “special constables arrived on scene,” they “found the individual about 100 m into the tunnel” and “brought him back to the platform.”

Many helped save a life

The reason he was down there has not yet been determined and it’s not known if any criminal charges are pending.

“It’s unclear why the person was at track level, and we don’t want to speculate,” Green said.

What everybody agrees on is that Caryma and Lee’s fast thinking and action helped prevent this from becoming a catastrophe.

“The observer who reported it absolutely did the right thing,” Green said. “Cutting power and calling it in, so we could ensure everyone’s safety, is precisely what we would ask people to do if they witness someone trespassing on the tracks. We thank them for their responsible actions to ensure an injury-free resolution.”

But what also comes out of this is help for the man and a tutorial on how to respond should you see something like this. Many didn’t know about the emergency button. Perhaps, one day Toronto will find a way to get platform safety barriers installed to close off the train from anybody getting to the tracks. This will prevent somebody from falling in, or getting pushed, or walking to them, as what happened this time.

Caryma and Lee played the heroes in this real-life drama that looked like something from a movie — and like they usually do, still got their video and pictures as journalists, too.

And they have the satisfaction that their actions ensured that nobody died.

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