Man Who 'Severed Arm' Falling On West 4th Street Tracks Sues MTA

West Village NY

01 November, 2021

3:34 PM

Description

WEST VILLAGE, NY — A man who fell onto the West Village's West 4th Street station tracks and "severed" his arm is suing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, according to a new suit. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Qayad Ahmed, doesn't take issue with what caused his fall, but the fact that the MTA allegedly won't send over any of the camera footage of the fall, radio communication on the day, subsequently filed reports, and photographs taken during the course of the investigation. The MTA did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment. Ahmed was found around 6:33 a.m. on Aug. 4 lying on the southbound track of the West 4th Street A, B, C, D, E, F, Q station with a severed arm, according to the court document. At no point does the petition from Ahmed's own legal team explain how he ended up on the tracks. On Sept. 14, Achmed's attorney sent a New York Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request to the MTA seeking video footage from the day and the other previously-mentioned records. The MTA sent an email back acknowledging the request but said it would take up to 90 days to respond, according to the petition. It's not uncommon for a FOIL request to take much longer than 90 days, however, Ahmed's legal team is arguing that the MTA already has all the materials it's asking for since they're all standard procedure to collect after someone gets hit by a train. "Respondents' (MTA) failure to provide any of the requested records, reports and audio radio communication, and their claim that it would take at least 90 days to respond to a simple FOIL request, when they obviously know where to find this information, constitutes a constructive denial and/or a blanket denial of Petitioner's FOIL request," reads the petition. Ahmed's legal team located at least three surveillance cameras on the platform where he fell. It is still unclear what Ahmed's team will argue once granted the footage.