[Article] Fainting dieters delay New York City subways

Victor

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16444534/wid/11915773/?GT1=8921

Fainting dieters delay New York City subways
Passengers ill from not eating are a top reason for disruptions, study finds
Updated: 10:33 p.m. ET Jan. 2, 2007

NEW YORK - Sick subway passengers, most of them dieters who faint from dizziness, are among the top causes of train delays, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

After track work and signal problems, ill passengers rated among the main reasons for subway disruptions between October 2005 and October 2006, according to an analysis of MTA statistics, AM New York reported Tuesday.

Asim Nelson, a transit emergency medical technician, told the paper that fainting dieters topped the "sick customer" list.

"Not eating for three or four days, you are going to go down," Nelson said. "If you don't eat for 12 hours, you are going to get weak."

Although the agency doesn't keep an official record of the nature of each rider's illness, the paper said that an average 395 delays each month are caused by sick customers.

The notion that fainting dieters are causing transit delays was previously reported by the newspaper Metro in a 2005 article.

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Fainting spells caused by missed meals topped other "sick customer" causes, including flu symptoms, anxiety attacks, hangovers and heat exhaustion, according to Nelson.

Nelson is part of the MTA's "sick Customer Response Program," which consists of emergency medical technicians and registered nurses. When a rider becomes sick, the train conductor must stay with the passenger until emergency responders arrive.

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

MarkoP11

Not far off the Dublin situation

Mainly women collapsing (could the diet obsession be the link?)
9 times out of 10 its the morning (missed breakfast, hangover)

And there was a ambulance called to Seapoint station this afternoon, ambulance wasn't in much of a hurry it seems and led to delays to several trains

Bluetonic

MarkoP11 wrote:

Not far off the Dublin situation

Mainly women collapsing (could the diet obsession be the link?)
9 times out of 10 its the morning (missed breakfast, hangover)

I would imagine a lot of the time it's due to menstrual cycle issues and not missed breakfasts and hangovers.

If only having a good breakfast and not drinking was the solution eh.:rolleyes:

2funki4wheelz

Bluetonic wrote:

I would imagine a lot of the time it's due to menstrual cycle issues and not missed breakfasts and hangovers.
If only having a good breakfast and not drinking was the solution eh.:rolleyes:

I used to get the 41X out of Swords to college in the mornings which was pretty packed and the same girl, who I knew from school to be into dieting and never ate brekkie, fainted on a few occassions, stopping the bus, waiting for ambulances etc.

Only one girl I know faints with her period, and even then only on ocassions.

The overcrowding/stuffiness adds to it, but the skipping breakfast thing is an epidemic, not just dieters but commuters doing anything to save 5 minutes in the morning.

It would be interesting to run the same study here.