Mom Holding 1-Year-Old Dies After Falling Down NYC Subway Stairs

Police have found no evidence of wrongdoing after a young mother fell to her death at a New York City subway station. The New York City Police Department said 22-year-old Malaysia Goodson was holding her one-year-old daughter and pushing a stroller full of shopping bags when she fell down the stairs at a station in midtown Manhattan Monday night. 

Police reviewed surveillance video and said she wasn't pushed, and that no problems were found with the stairs, railing or floor. 

Goodson's daughter was not seriously injured.

Her family is devastated. They said she was a vibrant young woman devoted to her family, especially her daughter. 

"When I was on my way to the hospital last night, I was praying that it wasn't her the whole time," said her brother, Dieshe Goodson.

It's unclear if she suffered from a medical condition or died due to the fall, but her death is calling attention to an issue disability rights activists have been pointing to for decades. Only 118 of 472 subway stations in the city have elevators. Funding has been secured to upgrade accessibility to 26 more.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called it "a heartbreaking tragedy that never should have happened." 

"The subway system is not accessible for everyone and that's an environment the MTA should not allow," he said on Twitter.

The MTA, which is responsible for public transportation in New York, called Goodson's death "a heartbreaking tragedy" that they're investigating along with the NYPD and Medical Examiner's Office.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help pay for her daughter's education.

First published on January 30, 2019

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