A man who was possibly in crisis jumped onto the tracks at the Civic Center BART station Monday afternoon was saved after multiple riders on the station platform waved to get the attention of the operator of an oncoming train.
BART released video of the incident that you can see above, in which at the top of the screen you can see a figure jump down onto the tracks and appear to lie down. One man runs down the platform toward where a train was about to enter the station, and many others then join him waving to the driver, who was able to stop the train just one car-length into the station, and several car-lengths away from where the man was in the trackway.
What you can't see in the video or the second angle below is that several passengers in fact helped the man off of the tracks and back onto the platform.
As the Chronicle reports, at least one bystander said the man fainted and fell, though the surveillance video suggests otherwise. A video of the incident posted to Reddit, which begins after the man was already on the tracks, appears to show the man passed out or comatose, and motionless. Once several people get down in the trackway to help him, he appears awake, and is able to jump back up on the platform himself. You can hear people shouting "Get away from the third rail!" to the rescuers who step dangerously close to the electrified rail.
One woman can be heard saying, "You need an ambulance. You passed out."
This all happened at 4:43 p.m. Monday, at the beginning of the evening rush hour.
"The train operator saw the riders waving their arms and hit the emergency stop button," BART explains in a release. "Power was cut in the area and BART police responded to the scene within minutes. Officers detained the person in crisis and made sure he got the support services he needed. We want to thank all the involved riders and the train operator for responding quickly and taking proactive steps to make sure the person on the tracks survived."
As CBS 5 reports, no one was hurt in the incident.
Here's the second angle on the platform, but the man in the tracks is not visible here.
If you are in crisis, text "BAY" to 741741 for free, 24/7, confidential crisis support from Crisis Text Line. And if you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, you or they should call the San Francisco Suicide Prevention crisis line at 415-781-0500.
If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone; remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.