This is one lucky old fella.
He stumbled and fell off of a subway platform onto the tracks below in a Philadelphia station.
Horrified, witnesses ran for help; but Charles Collins didn’t wait, and leapt into action, rescuing the elderly man. The two were lifted to safety by bystanders.
The video, from about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday shows Charles Collins, 28, wearing a Philadelphia Eagles jacket, walking away from the camera at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s 15th Street Station seconds before an older man, identified as Alfred McNamee (on the left side of the screen), takes a wrong step and falls onto the tracks.
The video shows some witnesses run for help while Collins (in the red circle) jumps down onto the tracks and lifts McNamee to safety with help from commuters on the platform. Collins is then helped to the platform by other commuters.
Transport officials were quick to the scene to provide first aid to the two men.
The police chief of the Philadelphia transport department lauded the Good Samaritan’s rapid response and the support from the other commuters. “This was a case where almost everybody in view jumped in and got involved.”
