Photo: Family Photo
A 22-year-old mother whodied after falling down a flight of stairsin a Manhattan subway station on Monday may have suffered a fatal “medical episode,” police tell PEOPLE.
Malaysia Goodson was carrying her 1-year-old daughter, Rhylee, and the child’s stroller when she fell down the stairs in Midtown’s 7th Avenue station just before 8 p.m., a spokesman for the New York Police Department previously told PEOPLE.
Now, authorities say the fall may not have killed her.
“It may have been a medical episode,” an NYPD spokesperson tells PEOPLE. “There’s no indication that the fall may have caused her death. But we can’t know for sure until the [medical examiner] lets us know.”
Malaysia Goodson and her daughter.GoFundMe
Although New York’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner has not determined a cause of death for the mother, officials announced that Goodson’s death was not result from the fall.
Goodson’s family told theNew York Postthat she had a thyroid issue and had recently complained of headaches.
“I don’t know, maybe she was starting to feel faint,” Goodson’s mother, Tamika Goodson, told thePost.
The death has garnered attention, with many calling for a more accessible transit system.
“This is a heartbreaking tragedy that never should have happened,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasiotweeted on Tuesday. “The subway system is not accessible for everyone and that’s an environment the MTA should not allow.”
In astatement to WPIX, MTA officials expressed sadness over the incident, and highlighting its Fast Forward plan, which officials have said will address accessibility.
“The Fast Forward Plan acknowledges and prioritizes this work as one of four key priorities, and aims to ensure that riders will never be more than two stops away from a station with an elevator.”
source: people.com
