Man dragged to death behind Metro train when dog leash got caught in closed train door
Yesterday, the Metro Transit Police, serving train stations in Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C., announced that they had received a report of a person struck by a train at Dunn Loring station, a Washington Metro station in Fairfax County, Virginia. That fateful call came in on February 15 just before 1:30 p.m. Metro Police said that an adult male was transported to the hospital, but unfortunately died from his injuries.
The man, identified by family members as 50-year-old Harold Riley, leaves behind two daughters and four grandchildren, according to NBC News in Washington.
Officials said that after reviewing Metro videos, it appears to show that the incident occurred approximately 450 feet away from the operator cab. Metro Transit Police say the train operator did perform two safety checks by opening and closing the doors before pulling away from the platform.
As it turns out, Riley wasn’t struck by the train as much as he was dragged by the train.
Riley had cleared and departed the train and was on the platform away from the car. Metro Police say that after closer review, a dog leash looked like it was tied to the person – and that leash got caught in the door after the door closed, leaving a dog with no ID inside of the car.
Officials went on to say that the leash getting caught in the door, caused the man tied to the leash to be dragged on the platform – and then onto the tracks. In an updated report from yesterday, Metro Police said that the dog did “not appear to be a service animal.” But they also said they were still in the early phases of their investigation.
Riley’s daughters told reporters that the dog left behind on the train was a service animal. According to Metro Transit policies, service animals are the only kinds of pets permitted in the Metro system. Any other animal besides a service animal must be transported in a carrier.
“Our thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of the deceased.” ~ Metro Transit Police
The Orange Line service between Vienna and West Falls Church was suspended immediately after the incident but has since been restored, according to WTOP.
FFX Now shared that Riley’s daughter told FOX5 that her dad’s dog, “Daisy,” is a service animal and was wearing a service animal vest when her leash got caught in the doors of the train — contradicting the Metro Transit Police Department’s statement that the dog “does not appear to be a service animal.”
“We tragically lost my father today in a train accident. As he was exiting the train the doors closed while his service dog was still inside. The train took off and my father was taken with it,” the Gofundme page says. “We want to raise money to be able to have a nice service and have him cremated. My father loved his grand children and his dog more than anything and he was such an amazing ‘PanPaw.” ~ GoFundMe
For more on the tragic story of the man being dragged to his death behind a train after his dog leash got caught in the train’s closed door, see the video accompanying this article.
(Harold Riley cover photo credit: GoFundMe)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram
