Man dragged to death by subway train

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - A man got his arm caught in a subway train and was dragged to his death.

It happened Monday evening on the F-line. The man tried to get onto a train in the Union Turnpike-Kew Gardens station about 6:45 as the train doors were closing. The train started moving and he could not get his arm out of the door.

He was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital. DNAinfo identified the victim as Edward Leonard, 51.

The MTA warns on its safety page: "It's also dangerous to try to keep subway doors from closing when you are entering or exiting the train. They are not like elevator doors and will not reopen automatically. In addition, make sure that pocketbooks, knapsacks, clothing, packages, umbrellas, and other personal items are clear of the closing doors."

Using the latest statistics that were available, the MTA says 141 people were struck by trains in 2012 and 55 people died.

The MTA recently plans a pilot program to install plastic sliding doors on platforms to prevent commuters from falling onto the tracks. It is unclear it those doors would prevent this type of incident.