The MTA’s latest high-tech fare gates have caused another unfortunate incident, this time involving a 5-year-old girl whose head got caught, leading to swelling and a hospital visit, as reported by her mother and the FDNY.
The incident occurred at the Broadway-Lafayette station around 1:40 p.m. on Dec. 19, with the child’s head getting trapped between the doors.
Fortunately, the girl was freed before emergency responders arrived and was taken to New York Presbyterian hospital for evaluation, according to the FDNY.
Her mother recounted to PIX11 that a bystander assisted in freeing her daughter from the gates.
A distressing video following the incident showed the young girl’s brother in distress, screaming and crying amidst the chaos.
This incident follows a previous viral video showing a woman with her head stuck in the turnstile doors at the same station.
Despite these incidents, the MTA is continuing the $1.1 billion trial of the new gates, which they have touted as “modern.”
The gates are designed to deter fare evasion, a problem that costs the MTA significant revenue, yet they have proven to be easily bypassed by fare beaters while causing harm to unsuspecting riders.
A spokesperson from the MTA mentioned, “The new fare gates are a pilot program utilizing technology from transit systems worldwide. As we assess their performance, we are gaining insights on how to design effective fare gates for New York City.”
Following a December board meeting, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber stated that the agency had been diligently installing and testing the gates for two weeks to ensure proper operation.
The MTA plans to introduce three different types of fare gates at 20 stations across the city to address fare evasion, with a goal of installing them at 150 stations starting in 2026.
Over the past year, the MTA reported losses of about $400 million due to subway fare evasion.
When asked about injuries related to the gates, the MTA did not provide a response, raising concerns about rider safety.
Despite the incidents and challenges, the MTA did not include the controversial fare gates in its recent press release highlighting achievements for 2025.
