Subway Study, originally created by JKonig.
So, I normally don't use this blog as a reason to vent, but today warrants it. Besides waking up late and having to deal with "20 degrees and below" temperatures here in this wonderful city, I also found out a terrible thing happen to a person my father describes as "the sweetest guy you will meet."
On January 4th, at 7:30am, Ronald Melichar (a top official of the Department of Small Business Services and friend of my father) was at the City College stop on the No. 1 train at 137th St. and Broadway. At some point, Melichar had a seizure and fell onto the track and the third rail, and was electrocuted. Observers ran to the token booth clerk and explained the situation, pleading for the power to be turned off (which the clerk said would happen right away). Yet a full two minutes later, Melichar was still on the tracks and, to the horror of the observers, a train pulled into the station and ran over Melichar. The Fire Department was only called at 7:38am (8 minutes later!!), and rescue teams arrived at 7:42am to find Melichar still alive, though riddled with electrical burns and several fractured bones. Apparently, he had a heartattack as well before he was taken to the hospital. Amazingly, Melichar is still alive (though barely and in the ICU); his leg had to be amputated to save his life.
I just don't really know what to say to something like this. One, why did it take so long for the power to be turned off in such a dire situation? And two, what did this sweet and loving man do to deserve such a thing? My father informed me that Melichar also lost his life partner really recently to a strange virus which took his partner's life absurdly fast. It pains me to think of what his family is going through, and to know that Melichar touched so many lives (like my father's).
I guess you just never have any idea what is headed your way, and that we should all be grateful to simply be alive and breathing. My prayers go out to Melichar's sister and family.
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