Man jumps on tracks to save stranger

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - An incredible act of heroism unfolded underground on Thursday in Buffalo when someone suffered a medical emergency and fell onto the Metro rail tracks, a Good Samaritan jumped into action.

Steven Love was on his way to catch the outbound subway on his way to work when he saw an older man suddenly collapse onto the tracks and a train was coming into the station. Initially, Love tried to reach the man from the platform.

"I leaned in, tried to grab him and pull him out first, but I could not get him. Saw a train coming, so then I had to hop down," recalled Love.

It is about a four-foot drop, and Love says the man fell directly on the rail, face first, and was bleeding heavily. As much as Love struggled with the unconscious man, he could not get him off the tracks. And if the train did not stop, they were both likely doomed.

"It was pretty scary. I thought about it for a second, but it just seemed like the right thing to do," said Love.

But the train operator, identified as Jose Ramirez, did spot the men on the tracks and hit his emergency brakes. NFTA spokesman Doug Hartmayer told News 4 that Ramirez is a 10-year veteran, and an instructor, and brought the train to a stop about 50 feet from Love and the man he was helping.

"And it was based on his quick thinking, and his reaction, that he was able to stop that train short of where it would normally stop, which where the two gentlemen were on the tracks," said Hartmayer.

Love said he acted purely out of instinct, feeling an adrenaline rush. But with small kids, and a fiancee why would he risk his life for a complete stranger? Because if the roles were reversed, he would want someone else to do the right thing.

"If it was my father, my mother, me, or any of my children, I would want them to do the same thing," he said. "It just felt like the right thing to do."

The man Love risked his life saving was taken to ECMC, where we are led to believe he is recovering from a possible seizure. All we can tell you is he is an older man from Buffalo. That's because at his request, ECMC is not at allowed to release any further information.