Mother dies after falling down stairs in NYC subway

A woman in New York City died Monday after falling down a flight of stairs inside a subway station while carrying her 1-year-old child in a stroller.

Malaysia Goodson was found unconscious Monday night in a stairwell at the Manhattan station and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Her child survived the fall. 

{mosads}The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which operates the city’s subway system, in a statement called Goodson’s death a “heartbreaking tragedy,” according to HuffPost.

Goodson’s death has prompted calls for the subway system to become more accessible, as the station where she died does not have an elevator. According to The New York Times, only about a quarter of the 472 subway stations in the city have an elevator.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that the MTA “should not allow” the subway system to not be accessible to everyone.

“This is a heartbreaking tragedy that never should have happened. The subway system is not accessible for everyone and that’s an environment the MTA should not allow,” he wrote on Twitter.

This is a heartbreaking tragedy that never should have happened. The subway system is not accessible for everyone and that’s an environment the MTA should not allow. https://t.co/X89fQep0LY

— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) January 29, 2019

Jeffrey Dinowitz, a New York state assemblyman who represents the Bronx, wrote in a tweet that Goodson’s death “highlights a very real fear that many people have when they commute.”

“We need full ADA compliance in our mass transit system,” he added.

This tragedy highlights a very real fear that many people have when they commute.

We need full ADA compliance in our mass transit system, starting with the #MosholuParkwayElevator.https://t.co/Sw3UR2GYum pic.twitter.com/MBh8Gq9w1j

— Jeffrey Dinowitz (@JeffreyDinowitz) January 29, 2019