The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the death of a man who was dragged by a subway train in Brooklyn, the agency said Wednesday.
The NTSB has sent a three-member team to the Utica Avenue station in Bedford-Stuyvesant to examine safety issues related to the incident.
The agency said it is seeking to “understand what happened, how it happened and whether there are lessons or safety improvements that could help prevent similar accidents in the future.”
The incident happened during the evening rush Monday when police said 57-year-old Yaw Boahene was getting off a northbound A train and a plastic shopping bag he was carrying became caught between the closing doors.
Boahene was dragged along the platform and into a wall, according to police. Emergency responders pronounced him dead at the scene.
The MTA said the train involved was recently inspected and no mechanical issues were found.
During an MTA Board meeting Tuesday, President Demetrius Chirchlow reassured riders about the safety of the system.
“This is not an indicator of how the system is. The system is safe. This is a very, very, very rare instance, and the equipment itself is designed to prevent this from happening,” he said. “As I’m sure many have had the experience where you’ve had something, whether it’s a shoe or your actual backpack, get caught in the doors, and the doors open back up. The system itself is made, designed to be able to protect people and to keep people safe.”
Authorities previously said there was no criminality involved.