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Man Jumps On Subway Tracks To Get Phone, Walks Away After Being Run Over By L Train

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A man is lucky to be alive after jumping onto subway tracks to retrieve his cellphone.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the incident took place Tuesday morning at the East 105th Street L train station in Canarsie.

The train hit the brakes and passed over the man, who apparently managed to lay down in the gap between the tracks.

After the train stopped, the man apparently emerged from the tracks and made his way out of the station, unhurt.

"We can't say it enough. You should never, ever under any circumstances go onto the tracks to retrieve anything," MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz told 1010 WINS. "Your life is certainly much more important than a cellphone."

According to the agency, 53 people were killed last year by subway trains.

"In essence, those trains can come at you very quickly," Ortiz said. "What most people don't understand is that often it's very difficult to climb back onto the platform from the tracks."

Ortiz said the man was very lucky, since different parts of the subway system have different clearances in the spaces between the tracks.

An MTA video reinforces the message, depicting a man struggling to get off of the tracks before an oncoming train arrives.

"Kevin and the Train" - Subway Platform Safety PSA by mtainfo on YouTube

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