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Samuel L. Jackson once survived being dragged by New York subway train in harrowing accident
By Stephanie Giang-Paunon
Published June 05, 2025
While Samuel L. Jackson is no stranger to intense scenes on the silver screen, the Hollywood actor recalled a near-death experience that almost took his life.
The "Pulp Fiction" star opened up about the harrowing moment he was nearly killed after a serious incident on a New York subway train in 1988.
"I got dragged by a subway train in New York. . . . I got dragged by the A train," Jackson revealed on the "Mad Sad Bad" podcast with host Paloma Faith.
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Samuel L. Jackson recounts a terrifying 1988 subway accident that left him with torn ligaments after being dragged by a train. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
"I was in the middle door of the last car, and it was a long-a-- train station. And when the door closed on my foot, [the] train took off. So, I'm sitting there thinking, I'm like, 'Oh, f---, I'm going to die.'"
Jackson, 76, recalled how the accident unfolded in a split second. After the subway doors clamped down on his foot, Jackson found himself stuck as the train began to move, dragging him toward the tunnel.
"I could see the tunnel coming, and I couldn't figure out anything that I could grab or hold on to and get close to the train, so I wouldn't get killed in the tunnel," he continued.
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While his life flashed before his eyes, Jackson explained, a person on the train had crutches and rushed to halt the train. (John Phillips/UK Press via Getty Images)
While his life flashed before his eyes, he explained, a person on the train had crutches and rushed to halt the train.
"It just slowed down really, really slow," Jackson recalled. "Until all of a sudden the train stopped."
Jackson continued to share his perspective on nearly dying as he experienced the brush with death.
Samuel L Jackson and Bruce Willis standing on a bridge, looking down in a scene from the film 'Die Hard: With a Vengeance,' 1995. (20th Century-Fox/Getty Images)
"Things slow down when you're looking at death," he remarked. "I've been in car accidents and if I see them, it's almost like everything is slowing down, and you know there's nothing you can do to get out of the way."
When asked whether fear had gripped him while he was trapped in the subway doors, Jackson shared his honest thoughts.
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"When I was being dragged, all I could think of was, it was going to be a really sad Christmas, because it was like a few days before Christmas," he said. "So I was going to miss my birthday and all that. I was like, 'Damn, it's gonna be f‑‑‑ed up. It's gonna be a f‑‑‑ed up Christmas this year.'"
Jackson had to get his right knee surgically repaired after the incident. (Getty Images)
The "Unbreakable" actor previously detailed the accident to Vanity Fair. He shared that he had suffered a complete tear of his ACL and a partial tear of his meniscus, plus "lots of cartilage damage."
Jackson had to get his right knee surgically repaired after the incident. This resulted in him spending ten months on crutches and more than a year in physical rehab.
"For the rest of his life, he would have a couple of extra screws in his right leg," the magazine reported.
Reps for Jackson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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