Good Samaritans team up to rescue blind man who fell on subway tracks

BETHESDA, Md. — A group of good Samaritans teamed up to rescue a visually impaired man who fell onto subway tracks in Bethesda. They had to work fast to save him from an oncoming train.

Brendan Cawley was waiting for his train when he saw a visually impaired man maneuvering his way around the platform using a white cane. The man inched closer and closer to the ledge and then fell onto the cold, hard tracks below. "You know, it's not every day that this happens," Cawley told WJLA. "I just knew it was something that I needed to do."

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Cawley ran down the platform and used every muscle in his body to pull the estimated 300-pound man back up, but to no avail. Looking around, he yelled for help. "I said, 'We need to get him up now!'"

Then two other male commuters dressed in business clothes came to help, just as the platform lights began to blink and the headlights of an inbound train became visible in the tunnel. The trio plucked the man to safety with around 20 seconds to spare.

After the man was pulled to safety, he complained of shortness of breath and some pain. The visually impaired man may have broken a few ribs in the fall. 911 was called to help him.

Cawley didn't catch the visually impaired man's name, but would like to reconnect. "I have thought a little bit about if I wasn't there. And to be honest, I'm not exactly sure how the outcome would have been," said Cawley.

CNN/WJLA