This week, get to know... WESLEY AUTREY
Wesley Autrey is a New York construction worker and Navy veteran who in 2007 achieved international recognition after he saved Cameron Hollopeter, a 19-year-old film student who had suffered a seizure and fallen onto the tracks, from being struck by a New York City subway train.
On January 2, 2007, Autrey was waiting for a train at the 137th Street and Broadway station in Manhattan. He and two women noticed a young man, Cameron Hollopeter, having a seizure. Autrey borrowed a pen from someone and used it to keep Hollopeter's jaw open. Following the seizure, Hollopeter stumbled from the platform, falling onto the tracks.
As Hollopeter lay on the tracks, Autrey saw the lights of an oncoming train. Autrey dove onto the tracks. He realized there was not enough time to drag Hollopeter away. Instead, he protected Hollopeter by throwing himself over Hollopeter's body in a drainage trench between the tracks, where he held him down. The operator of the train applied the brakes, but two cars still passed over them.
Autrey received a number of gifts for his heroic act. They include but were not limited to:
- nearly $20,000 in cash gifts
- A trip to Disney Land
- A life time subscription to Playboy magazine (he was wearing a beanie with the playboy logo when he saved Hollopeter).
- Season tickets tickets to the New Jersey Nets
- Two Jeep Patriot's
- $5000 gap card
Wesley was invited to the 2007 State of the Union Address where he was recognized for is efforts.
He was also honored by CNN with their Every Day Hero award.
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This is why we need a subway/L-train in Utah.
ReplyDeleteI've been running some numbers.
ReplyDeleteWesley Autrey received gifts worth roughly $57,500 depending on how long he lives and whether or not the price of Playboys goes up in the future. The Metro-North rail system has had 99 deaths in the last 11 years. That's 9 deaths a year. If I quit my job, and dedicate my life to saving people from trains, maybe even wear a cape, and let's say that, since I'm new, I can only save about 50% of the victims, I would be pulling an annual salary of around $290,000 a year after I sell my cars and magazine subscriptions on craigslist.
Not a bad living Superman.