A man trying to get off a Metro train in the Washington, D.C. area was dragged when he got off the train, but the dog did not. The man could not release himself from the dog’s leash, which was tied to his body, police said.
Family members said Harold Riley, 50, died from his injuries at a hospital after he was dragged off the train platform at the Dunn Loring Metro Station in Vienna, Virginia, on Wednesday afternoon, WRC reported.
The dog, named Daisy, remained inside the train as Riley left the car, WTTG reported. The train’s operator performed two door safety checks before the doors closed a final time and the train rolled away with the leash tied to the man. The train dragged Riley down the platform and onto the tracks.
Riley was about 450 feet from the operator’s cab when the train started to move, WRC reported.
Daisy, who police said did not have identification tags and did not appear to be a service dog, was in the custody of the metro police shortly after the incident, WUSA reported. Animals are supposed to be in a secure container unless they are service animals. Riley’s daughter told WRC that Daisy was her father’s service dog.
The dog is now in the care of another family after Riley’s daughter said Daisy needed to be rehomed because of her family’s other animals, WTTG reported.
