WMATA says woman intentionally placed herself on track at Bethesda Metro station

WMATA is disputing Montgomery County officials' account of Sunday's incident at the Bethesda Metro station, in which a woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services' spokesperson said that the woman had fallen onto the track from the platform as an oncoming train approached the station, rolled into an "area of refuge" to dodge the train, and "self-rescued." Since filing my report based on that information, I was contacted by Metro's Media Relations Manager, Sherry Ly, who said that account "was not accurate."

Ly said the woman did not fall from the platform, but intentionally placed herself on the track, and that the quick action of the train engineer in applying the emergency brakes resulted in only "incidental contact" between the train and the woman. Her full statement follows:

At approximately 8:20 a.m. Sunday an adult female sustained minor injuries at Bethesda Station after intentionally placing herself on the trackbed as a train was approaching the station. The train operator saw the woman and activated the emergency brakes in an effort to stop. While the train was slowed significantly as a result of this action, the lead car made incidental contact with the woman, knocking her to the ground.

Montgomery County Fire/Rescue and MTPD responded, and the woman was transported for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. She will undergo a psychiatric evaluation due to the nature of her actions.