Sep 7, 2006 8:27 pm US/Eastern
Little Girl Falls Between Gaps At Penn Station
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
The latest in our CBS 2 investigation into the dangerous gaps along the LIRR. As we push to help close the gap, we tracked down two heroes who helped keep a 4-year-old girl calm after she had a brush with death Wednesday at Penn Station.
Jim Martens and Dave Hassert work the beverage carts on tracks 18 and 19. Their quick reactions and calm thinking helped save little Brittany Walker. She survived a gap death trap thanks in part to the men.
Brittany, her mother and siblings were boarding an afternoon train for Huntington when she disappeared into a gap that we measured at 8 inches wide.
"We dropped to our bellies and tried to get her out," said Dave Hassert. The men kept her calm and told her not to move. Her leg was close to the third rail.
Martens and Hassert kept Britney in place until MTA police could cut the power and pull her out. Brittany's mother said "they need to fix it they really do."
Last month, a train killed teenaged tourist from Minnesota Natalie Smead, after she fell into a gap at the Woodside station.
Our CBS 2 investigations have uncovered wide gaps exist everywhere. State Senator Dean Skelos says he's tired of hearing excuses. He said "It's not working and we need to move to the next level. He says he wants new technology, possibly retractable platforms.
Our requests for on-camera interviews from the NTSB, L-I double R and M-T-A were denied. We were told plans would be revealed only after reports are finished.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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