[nagdu] the Sky Train incident

[Jenine Stanley]

According to someone who knows the person, here are some facts that don't
totally explain what happened but go a long way toward deeming this a freak
accident. 

The woman was boarding the train. This train has no live staff and the doors
have a 10-second closing time. 

There are also seats near the doors that flip down. She was apparently
turning to flip one down, hence did not have the harness handle in her hand.
We got no info on how she was holding the leash. 

Someone who did not exit the car with the main group of people came out and
the dog either chose to jump backward off the train onto the platform to
avoid being hit by the person, or who knows why it backed up, but it did and
the doors closed on the leash. 

I can only imagine the sheer terror that poor woman was feeling at the time,
especially if her wrist happened to be in that leash, which would make a lot
of sense as to how it didn't slide through the doors, but we may never know
that. 

If nothing else, this incident should give us all pause, pun intended, to
consider how we approach and disembark trains, buses and other vehicles. 

I got my coat caught in a car door when I was about 8 years old. I was too
short for my mother to see me over the door frame and luckily I was pounding
on the car and others were shouting so she was able to stop before she
really got going but it was enough to take my feet off the ground initially
and really shake me up. I can't imagine what that would be like for a dog. 

Jenine Stanley
jeninems at wowway.com