A rat bit a horrified straphanger earlier this week on a subway platform.
The unidentified woman, described as being in her mid-20s, was waiting for the J train on a bench at the Chambers Street station about 9:30 Monday morning when, she said, the rodent peeked out from underneath and bit her right foot, which was unprotected by her open-toed shoes.
“She was crying — she was quite hysterical,” when the woman went to the service booth at the station, a subway employee told amNewYork yesterday. “She had a cut … you could see the fresh blood,” he continued, adding that it was the first time he had heard of a commuter being attacked by a rat.
The woman was taken to New York Downtown Hospital, according to an MTA document.
Spokesmen for the hospital and the MTA did not comment by press time.
While rats are fairly common in subway stations, most rodent bites occur when people at home try to release mice from traps, health department spokeswoman Susan Craig said.
About 200 rodent bites are reported each year, according to city data.
“The best way to prevent rats is to keep the subway stations clean,” Craig said. “The more people can do to keep garbage away, and to not throw garbage in the subway tracks — especially food — the less rats there will be.” amNY
No comments:
Post a Comment