Man Electrocuted for 11 Cents A 22-year-old New Zealand man was killed when he jumped into a subway track pit to grab some coins and brushed against the electrified third rail.
Matthew Gallagher was pulled out of the track pit at Haymarket station by a bystander and a friend, who tried to revive him. He was later pronounced dead at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority spokesman Joe Pesaturo calls it an "unimaginable tragedy." Gallagher and his friend, Craig Jonas, had just left a bar early Friday when they spotted some coins on the track.
Jonas said he jumped down and emerged with 11 cents. But as he was climbing out, he heard Gallagher shout after hitting the third rail. The rail carries 600 volts of electricity, which powers the trains and their electrical systems. |