Malaysia Goodson, 22, fell to her death on Monday while carrying a stroller with her 1-year-old daughter down a flight of stairs at a New York City Subway station.
According to NBC New York, Goodson was found unconscious on the southbound platform at the Seventh Avenue B D E station near Times Square around 8 p.m. She had the stroller in her hands with her daughter, who was unharmed, tucked inside.
Authorities are unclear whether the fall was accidental or if it was sparked by a medical issue. Goodson’s family told the news outlet they were not sure what caused the fall either. There were reportedly no signs of trauma at the scene.
The woman lived in Stamford, Connecticut, and was visiting family in New York City when she fell.
Goodson’s death sparked an outcry on social media with several mothers and disabled people spotlighting the accessibility issues with the city’s subway system. Protesters gathered in front of the Manhattan station on Wednesday morning to hold a vigil
Here's the crowd outside the 7 Avenue station, where a moment of silence was held for 22-year-old Malaysia Goodman, the mom killed after a spill down the stairs. pic.twitter.com/FU36cD5YE5
— Jose Martinez (@JMartinezNYC) January 30, 2019
Reports from NBC said that only 25 percent of NYC subway stations have elevators and on average each one experienced outages at least 50 times a year.
Mayor Bill de Blasio criticized the MTA following reports of the woman’s death.
This is 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. https://t.co/X89fQep0LY
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) January 29, 2019
The public transit company addressed the “heartbreaking tragedy” in a statement, which said, “The MTA, medical examiner’s office and NYPD are conducting a full investigation.”
Goodson’s daughter has been reunited with her father and grandmother.