Woman survives after being run over by 3 subway trains

Woman survives after being run over by 3 subway trains
(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Dozens of New Yorkers are killed in subway accidents each year, but one Bronx woman's story had a much better ending.

Mary Downey, 22, was run over by three New York subway trains on Sunday — and not only did she survive, but the only serious injury she sustained was a broken shoulder.

Authorities told the New York Post that Downey was drunk when she fell onto the tracks in the early morning at a subway station near Times Square. She then rolled herself into the space between the rails to avoid direct contact with the train, according to police sources.

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"She was lucky enough to have, it looks like to us, rolled to the platform and was in between the platform and the train when the train came into the station," FDNY Battalion Chief Mike Meyers told the Post.

The third train's operator saw Downey lying on the tracks, and paramedics then took her to a local hospital, where her shoulder was treated. Downey is now back at her home, and friends told the paper she is doing quite well.

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Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.