Passenger dragged, killed in DC rail system after doors closed on dog leash

A male passenger died this week on the Washington, D.C., rail system after his dog's leash got caught in the electronically-closing doors of a rail car, dragging him to his death.

The incident occurred Wednesday at about 1:30 p.m at on the platform of a rail station in northern Virginia, according to transit officials.

The man was dragged to the end of the platform before hitting a railing and falling onto the tracks. He was transported to a hospital and later pronounced dead, said Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority officials. 

“The deceased [exited] the train and was on the platform away from the car, but upon closer review, a leash appears to be tied to the person, which was unfortunately caught in the door, leaving a dog with no ID inside of the car,” the Metro Transit Police Department said in a tweet.

The man was 450 feet away from the operator cab, and the train operator performed two "safety-checks" before moving the train, according to the police agency.

Metro operators are supposed to look out the window when a train pulls into a station and make sure the right side of the doors are opened. They are instructed to check that the doors close fully and safely. 

NBC4 identified the man as 50-year-old Harold Riley. 

Riley's daughter told News4 the dog was a service animal. The Metro system allows onboard only service animals or animals in a secure carrier. Transit police initially said the dog did not appear to be a service animal because it had no ID.

Deaths on the Metro are still considered rare in comparison to traffic-related deaths which account for more than 300 deaths annually in the region in a year, according to the blog site dcist.