“I’m not going to keep walking – because God wouldn’t want me to do that.”
A dramatic yet terrifying scene unfolded at the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line train at 69th Street station, just along Dan Ryan Expressway.
Two men were in an altercation then one of them got into an awful accident. And instead of just leaving the man, a Good Samaritan risked even his own life to save another.
Trigger warning: the images and video below might be sensitive for some readers.
Anthony Perry, 20, was at the station where the trouble brewed.
“I immediately noticed there was a fight,” he said, “because both guys got their dukes up – they were like putting their stuff down.”
Two men were fighting near the edge of the platform until their conflict ended up on the rails just right in front of a stopped “L” train.
According to the police, one of the people involved was waiting for the train to come. The other man walked up to him and spat on his face. A punch was thrown then it escalated into a violent wrestle.
The two men fell on the tracks.
The first man suffered burns on his left leg and some cuts on his mouth but the other man wasn’t so lucky. The man who started the fight touched the rail which sent 600 volts of electricity through his body.
In a video taken by one of the commuters, the man was shaking with his hands behind his back. His convulsing state caused fear and panic among the onlookers.
Then, a man jumped through the stunned crowd.
Anthony Perry quickly went to the man’s rescue. He shared that he heard somebody tell him not to touch the man as electricity was surging through him.
But Perry couldn’t leave the man like that. Someone needed help and he knew he could provide it.
“I could’ve kept walking, but I was like, you know what? I’m not going to keep walking – because God wouldn’t want me to do that,” he said to CBS, “so I took action immediately.”
His own life was on the line.
He tried to pull the man to safety.
“It was strong – like it went through my whole body,” Perry recalled to CBS the moment he touched the man. “I remember after that, my whole body was still kind of shaky.”
He successfully pried the man away from the rail. The man was then taken to the hospital as he was still in a very serious condition.
Perry didn’t see himself as a hero.
“I was thinking about, if that was me in that situation, how would I want people to treat me?” Perry said to CBS. “I’m just happy that the guy was alive, more than anything. I didn’t see myself as a hero, to be honest.”
However, he still couldn’t believe that he did what he did especially when he was also at risk of being electrocuted.
A very special gift
To recognize his efforts, a businessman gave him a very special gift.
Early Walker, a businessman, bought Perry a brand new Audi A6 which he can use to drive to work.
Perry had shared that he was having car troubles, which is why he had to take the train.
And while the situation was risky and stressful, Perry was just thankful that he was at the right place at the right time.
Learn more about this heroic story in the video below!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
