Latest news with #NewYorkTransitAuthority
The Independent
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Samuel L Jackson opens up on near-death experience
Samuel L Jackson has recounted a 1988 incident where he was dragged by a New York City subway train after his foot got caught in the door, revealing 'things slow down when you're looking at death'. Speaking on Paloma Faith 's Mad Sad Bad podcast, Jackson said he feared for his life as the train accelerated, but it slowed and stopped before entering a tunnel. In a 2021 Vanity Fair interview, Jackson revealed the incident tore his ACL and meniscus, leading to 10 months on crutches and a year of rehab. Jackson sued the New York Transit Authority and received a $540,000 settlement. During the court proceedings, Jackson learned that a man had pulled the emergency cord, stopping the train and potentially saving his life.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Samuel L. Jackson reveals he was almost killed in horror subway accident
Samuel L. Jackson has revealed how he almost died after being 'dragged by a subway train in New York' nearly four decades ago. The 76-year-old Pulp Fiction actor had been helping a woman who had dropped something when the car door slammed shut on his ankle, causing him to be hauled along the platform at speed. Recalling the terrifying accident, which happened in December 1988, Jackson said he truly believed that he was going to be killed. 'I got dragged by a subway train in New York… I got dragged by the A train,' Jackson said. 'Fortunately, I was in the middle door of the last car, and it was a long-a** train station. 'And when the door closed on my foot, [the] train took off. So, I'm sitting there thinking, I'm like, "Oh, f***, I'm going to die."' Speaking on Monday's episode of Paloma Faith's Mad Sad Bad podcast, he continued: 'I could see the tunnel coming and I couldn't figure out anything that I could grab or hold on to and get close to the train so I wouldn't get killed in the tunnel.' Luckily, the train 'just slowed down really, really slow' until it stopped entirely. While he didn't lose his life, Jackson didn't come out completely unscathed and ended up spending 10 months on crutches and over a year having physical therapy due to a torn ACL and meniscus. He won $540,000 in damages after he sued the New York Transit Authority. Jackson said that everyone in the subway carriage had tried desperately to save his life that day. 'The guy who pulled the emergency cord was on crutches,' he continued in the podcast episode. 'Everybody else in there was trying to open the door, get my foot out the door, push and push and pull and try and take my shoe off. 'And he was going to the emergency cord and he finally pulled it and stopped it.' And, as he was being dragged down the platform, all Jackson could think was that 'it was going to be a really sad Christmas, because it was like a few days before Christmas.' 'Things slow down when you're looking at death,' he added. 'I've been in car accidents and if I see them, it's almost like everything is slowing down and you know there's nothing you can do to get out of the way.' According to the New York Post, the New York state's public transit is the most dangerous in the country. They report that there were 23 deaths, 1,641 violent incidents and 1,759 injuries between 2021 and 2023. Jackson's nightmarish brush with death occurred just months after he finished filming for Spike Lee's award-winning film, Do the Right Thing, which was released in 1989. He would famously go on to star in Quentin Tarantino's film Pulp Fiction seven years later.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
New York metro transit systems add on-demand sign language interpreters
It's a classic New York experience. You're riding the subway to work, and suddenly the train stops. The lights go off, and you seem to be trapped between stations in a tunnel. For many New Yorkers, hardened over years of bad weather, prevalent trash and cohabitation with rats, this is just another recurring event that's made less nerve-wracking by experience. But for Jarrod Musano, being stuck on a southbound 6 train that had lost power, there was little relief. Musano was born deaf, and the audio-only announcements were of no help. Musano couldn't see anything in the darkness, and had to rely on gauging the amount of panic in his surroundings. 'I knew if it were serious, people would be moving quickly,' he recalled of the incident. Musano's experience reflects one of many ways people who have disabilities and, more specifically, who are hard of hearing, have difficulty when using public transportation. Musano is the CEO of Convo, a company that was founded in 2009 and connects people with sign language interpreters on demand. Today, the company is announcing a partnership with the New York Transit Authority, New Jersey Transit and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that brings its service to area airports, trains and other major transit hubs. This includes the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) subway system, the Long Island Rail Road and NJTransit. Through this partnership, QR codes will be placed at various locations across those systems, and scanning them will launch Convo's web app through a browser. The user will be asked to grant access to their microphone and camera, and they'll then be connected to a real-time sign language interpreter on their devices. This, of course, requires that people have mobile phones or tablets with working internet connections, which might not always be reliable. It's worth noting, though, that the MTA has been adding Wi-Fi coverage to subway stations across its network. Plus, many of these QR codes are placed at customer service booths, which have gadgets on hand that could provide access. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Convo and its partners had been conducting pilot tests at Penn Station, Times Square and the Port Authority terminal for months, and said in a press release that in general, users reported 'feelings of empowerment, inclusion and newfound confidence in interacting with transit staff.' The company added that 44 out of 47 users were able to successfully access the service during the pilot. There are a number of reasons using a sign language interpreter would be more effective and efficient than, say, typing messages on your phone and handing them to another person to read. First, for many deaf individuals, sign language is their native language, and it would be more intuitive to express themselves that way than to type in English. Sign language also has different syntax than English. A sign language interpreter can also help translate as a deaf person is signing and also while a person with hearing is speaking, which can reduce frustration and time spent handing a phone back and forth. It can feel comforting and reassuring to have an interpreter available that understands what you're communicating, and since they are likely to be fairly familiar with the situation, the interpreter could also help share information they already know from context and experience. I went to look for these QR codes when I was at Moynihan Train Hall (an extension of Penn Station) this weekend, and once I spotted the first one at a ticketing counter at the LIRR service area, I started noticing them all over. I counted five of the little green squares in total, and after scanning one, I was brought to Convo's page on my browser, which displayed an explanation and tips for better service. I didn't want to waste an interpreter's time, so I stopped after that. I do have to point out that as a T-Mobile user, I frequently lose my signal in Moynihan Train Hall and have to use the station's public Wi-Fi, which in my experience has unreliable speeds. That's one of the challenges Convo will have to contend with and work on as the service reaches more people. 'As we deploy this out to the MTA, we're going to learn the types of behaviors, the types of requests, the types of challenges that we're going to face,' Musano said when I asked if languages other than American Sign Language would be supported. For now, ASL is the default, though Convo wouldn't have to stretch too hard to find interpreters for British Sign Language and others. In fact, Convo already works with major networks in countries like Australia and the UK, with Musano saying it has partnerships with British Airlines, Aer Lingus, the British railway and more. Convo's service in the New York and New Jersey transit systems is free, and its app Convo Now provides 20 free minutes per month to all users who need sign language interpreters.
