Off-Duty FDNY EMS Lieutenant Rescues Diabetic Man From Subway Tracks

An off-duty FDNY EMS lieutenant on his way to a doctor's appointment rescued a diabetic man who fell on the subway tracks on Sept. 8, according to a department press release.

Lt. Luis Corrales was getting off the E train from Queens at around 10 a.m., about to transfer to the 6 train at 53rd Street and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, when he heard a woman screaming.

He looked in her direction and saw a man lose his balance while walking before falling head-first onto the subway tracks.

Corrales and a civilian jumped onto the tracks to help him.

The two men struggled to get the 250-pound man to the platform and slowly hoisted him to safety by his belt and pants.

"My only concern was the people (on the platform who were) screaming. I didn't know if it was because we were on the tracks or because there was a train coming," he said. "I didn't want to look."

The victim was transported to New York Hospital in stable condition.

"I've been in EMS for 20 years and to see something like this, as it happens, is rare," he said. "You're there for the thick of it and don't have the resources you'd have while on duty. But it's a good feeling."