The young mom found dead at the bottom of a Midtown subway staircase probably died from a medical episode and not from falling, law enforcement sources said Tuesday. Malaysia Goodson, 22, had a thyroid issue and complained of headaches the day before she and her baby were discovered at the foot of the stairs coming from the street entrance to the southbound 7th Ave./53rd St. B/D station around 8 p.m. Monday, sources and her family said. Goodson’s 1-year-old daughter, Rhylee, was found underneath her in good condition, sources said. Next to the pair was a stroller full of groceries. Detectives believe that the mom wouldn’t have fallen far, and almost certainly not down the whole flight, sources said. She had no marks on her body, leading them to believe she suffered a medical emergency and died from that rather than any tumble, sources said. She was likely traveling with her baby in one arm and pushing or dragging the stroller filled with groceries in the other at the time, they said. “I don’t know, maybe she was starting to feel faint,” her grieving mom, Tamika Goodson, told The Post. Law enforcement sources noted that there were no witnesses to the actual incident. Tamika Goodson said her daughter, who grew up in New York City and was no stranger to the subway system, lived in Stamford, Connecticut, and worked as a day care aide. She was in town visiting her cousins and doing a little shopping in the city at the time, the mom said. “I’m just still trying to take it all in,’’ the mom said. “I’m trying to see if I’m dreaming. I’m in disbelief.” Goodson said Malaysia had three siblings, including a brother who mourned with the mom at the family’s home Tuesday. Authorities had initially said Malaysia may have tripped while carrying her baby down the stairs at the station, which has no elevators and only two “up” escalators. While they now say they believe that the tragedy was caused by a medical issue, officials still called for overall better accessibility in the subway system. The MTA called the incident “heartbreaking” and said it has already approved a plan to install 50 new elevators in stations across the city — though the station where Malaysia died is not one of them.<doc-sep>EMBED >More News Videos A young mother carrying baby fatally fell down a Manhattan subway station's stairs, and now her brother is speaking out. The lack of accessibility in our subways is literally killing people. I am heartbroken by this tragedy, and am keeping this family in my thoughts. NYC must do more for families and the disabled. https://t.co/X2w91JdKtD — NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) January 29, 2019 MANHATTAN -- A young mother has died after falling down stairs at a Manhattan subway station while holding her 1-year-old daughter in a stroller.Malaysia Goodson, of Stamford, Connecticut, fell down the stairs at a midtown Manhattan station at around 8 p.m. Monday, police said.Goodson was unconscious when police arrived. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her child was unharmed.Goodson's brother, 23-year-old Dieshe Goodson, told Eyewitness News that his little sister was like a twin and that she "died trying to protect her baby. "The baby of their four siblings, Malaysia "always watched out for people," he said. "She was very protective," he said. "I'm going to be honest, I don't know what to do. She was my best friend. "It was not immediately clear whether the 22-year-old Goodson had a medical issue that precipitated her death or whether she died from impact. The city's medical examiner will determine the cause of death.The baby is now in the custody of her father and grandfather.The MTA issued the following statement:"This is an absolutely heartbreaking incident. While the ultimate cause of the event is being investigated by the MTA, medical examiner, and the NYPD, we know how important it is to improve accessibility in our system. 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. This will be accomplished through the addition of up to 50 elevators over the next five years. We believe this is an important issue of practicality and equality, and once accomplished, riders will never be more than two stops away from a station with an elevator. "The 7th Avenue/53rd Street station, which services the B, D and E lines, does not have an elevator, according to the New York Times Only about a quarter of New York City's 472 subway stations have elevators, and the elevators that do exist are often out of service. Parents and caregivers who ride the subways with young children become adept at carrying a stroller and child up and down the stairs. Bystanders will often pitch in to help, but not always.Shams Tarek, an MTA spokesman, said the Seventh Avenue B-D-E station where Goodson fell does have escalators. Parents are generally advised not to ride escalators with strollers, however.The lack of elevators makes it difficult for people in wheelchairs to use New York's subway system, and disability-rights activists have staged frequent protests over the issue. "The lack of accessibility in our subways is literally killing people," New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson tweeted.Andy Byford, who was appointed the MTA's head of the subway system last year after running the Toronto Transit Commission, has set a goal of adding enough elevators to the system that after five years, no rider will be more than two stops away from an accessible station.<doc-sep>“She was the kind of kid that when you made her smile,” he said, “it felt like a real win.” After graduating in 2015, her mother said, Ms. Goodson had big dreams. She worked for about a year at a day care center in Stamford, and loved it. But she had also talked about becoming a security guard or a flight attendant. Ms. Goodson’s daughter was the light of her life, her cousin, Ronshuana Anthony, said. “Malaysia just gave so much of her self,” Ms. Anthony said, adding, “She’d give her last breath to her if she could.” When emergency responders arrived at the subway station on Monday night, Ms. Goodson was unconscious and unresponsive, police said. She was taken to the Mount Sinai West hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Ms. Goodson’s daughter was found conscious and treated at the scene. She was reunited with her father and grandmother in the city and was doing well, Tamika Goodson said. It was not clear whether Ms. Goodson suffered a medical condition or if she was killed from the impact of the fall. The city’s medical examiner will determine her cause of death, officials said. Shams Tarek, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the subway, called the death “a heartbreaking tragedy” and said the agency would work with the police to investigate. While officials are continuing to probe the circumstances around Ms. Goodson’s fall, her death has shined a light on the lack of elevator service and accessibility issues that have long plagued the city’s subway system.<doc-sep>Malaysia Goodson, 22, fell to her death on Monday while carrying a stroller with her 1-year-old daughter down a flight of stairs at a New York City Subway station. According to NBC New York, Goodson was found unconscious on the southbound platform at the Seventh Avenue B D E station near Times Square around 8 p.m. She had the stroller in her hands with her daughter, who was unharmed, tucked inside. Authorities are unclear whether the fall was accidental or if it was sparked by a medical issue. Goodson’s family told the news outlet they were not sure what caused the fall either. There were reportedly no signs of trauma at the scene. The woman lived in Stamford, Connecticut, and was visiting family in New York City when she fell. Goodson’s death sparked an outcry on social media with several mothers and disabled people spotlighting the accessibility issues with the city’s subway system. Protesters gathered in front of the Manhattan station on Wednesday morning to hold a vigil . Here's the crowd outside the 7 Avenue station, where a moment of silence was held for 22-year-old Malaysia Goodman, the mom killed after a spill down the stairs. pic.twitter.com/FU36cD5YE5 — Jose Martinez (@JMartinezNYC) January 30, 2019 Reports from NBC said that only 25 percent of NYC subway stations have elevators and on average each one experienced outages at least 50 times a year. Mayor Bill de Blasio criticized the MTA following reports of the woman’s death. This is a heartbreaking tragedy that never should have happened. The subway system is not accessible for everyone and that’s an environment the MTA should not allow. https://t.co/X89fQep0LY — Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) January 29, 2019 The public transit company addressed the “heartbreaking tragedy” in a statement, which said, “The MTA, medical examiner’s office and NYPD are conducting a full investigation.” Goodson’s daughter has been reunited with her father and grandmother.<doc-sep>
Malaysia Goodson, 22, died from a medical condition and not because of her fall down a set of subway stairs, according to police A young mother found dead at the foot of the stairs in a subway station on Monday died of a medical condition and not as a result of the fall, police have revealed. Malaysia Goodson, 22, was found at the bottom of the stairs at the 53rd St. and Seventh Avenue subway station at 8pm on Monday. The daycare worker from Stamford, Connecticut, had been in the city visiting a cousin when the accident happened. Commuters watched in horror as she fell while carrying her one-year-old daughter in her stroller. She was found by other commuters lying on top of the toddler next some scattered groceries. Malaysia was taken to the hospital but she was later pronounced dead. On Wednesday, NYPD sources told The New York Post that Goodson had a thyroid condition and had been complaining of headaches for days before the accident. They do not believe she fell down the whole flight and that she would only have missed a few steps. The young woman did not have any marks on her body that would indicate a larger fall, the source said. A full autopsy has not yet been performed to determine what caused the medical episode which led to her fall. The 22-year-old was carrying her one-year-old daughter in a stroller when she fell, tumbled down the stairs and landed on the toddler These are the steps Malaysia was carrying her daughter in a stroller down when she fell. Police say she did not fall down the full flight and that she had no marks on her body On Tuesday, the woman's devastated brother said the way she was found lying on top of her toddler showed that she died trying to protect her. 'She was very protective, she died trying to protect her baby. 'I'm going to be honest, I don't know what to do. She was my best friend,' Dieshe Goodson, 23, told ABC. The incident has revived discussion of accessibility across the city's subway network. There is no elevator at the 7th Ave. and 53rd st. station and the only escalator goes up not down. While Malaysia was not disabled, she was juggling a toddler, stroller and groceries wen she fell. It remains unclear if any of those things contributed to her death. The MTA said in a statement: 'This is an absolutely heartbreaking incident.'