Commuter nearly pushed into subway tracks by water rushing into flooded station
New York City really is going through it.
An innocent commuter was nearly swept off a platform and into train tracks when he got caught in a rapidly flooding subway station.
The heavy rain pouring down on Court Square in Long Island City was so intense on Wednesday that it forced a wall to collapse, causing a rush of water that knocked a commuter off his feet. In a video posted by the Instagram account @subwaycreatures, the commuter was nearly pushed into an incoming train car as he struggled to stand up.
Other commuters also shared their experiences on social media, pointing out that the flooding in the station was so severe, the stairwells leading to train platforms became waterfalls.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
One man at a New Jersey station managed to get someone to carry him out of the floodwaters.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The MTA shifted the blame to an independent contractor working on a nearby building, who neglected to build a proper drainage system at the site.
"This was an absolutely unacceptable and avoidable," MTA spokesperson Shams Tarek said in a statement on Thursday morning. "We have already begun taking steps to make sure the developer and contractor are held accountable and this doesn't happen again."
The past year has also been the wettest 12 months on record across the continental United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Outside of New York City, the Southeastern United States is experiencing heavy flooding as well. The New York Post notes that Florida and the Carolinas has seen the most rapid increase in high tide floods — scientists predict a 150 percent uptick since 2000 over the next year.
The MTA says trains were running normally that night, since the trackbed drainage system was able to control the excess water.
"We regret that our customers were inconvenienced and put at risk by this contractor's shocking lapse in best safety practices," Tarek continued in the statement.
Being swept into an oncoming train by raging floodwaters seems more than just inconvenient, but sure.
