By EMS1 Staff
BOSTON — A woman who suffered a brutal injury when her leg became trapped on a train platform refused an ambulance ride because she did not want to pay for it.
The Boston Globe reported that the unidentified 45-year-old woman’s leg was cut down to the bone after it was trapped between a train and the platform.
A surveillance video shows bystanders rushing to her aid, with at least 10 people pushing on the train so that she had enough room to pull her leg free.
“Do you know how much an ambulance costs?” the woman said as she begged bystanders to not call an ambulance.
Witness Marleny Polanco said a few people wrapped her leg in a compress, and police said she suffered a “serious laceration, exposing the bone,” and needed surgery.
The woman was transported to the hospital, and Boston EMS Chief Jim Hooley stressed that no one should have to worry about not being able to pay for an ambulance ride in such instances.
“We just worry about taking care of people,” Hooley said. “We don’t want to cause them more stress. We just want to reassure them that nothing bad is going to happen to them because of their inability to pay.”