The tragic death of a woman who was set on fire while sleeping on a Brooklyn subway train has reopened old wounds for a mother still mourning the loss of her son. Vicki Goble, 73, expressed her outrage at the MTA’s apparent lack of improvement in safety measures following the death of her son, Garrett Goble, in a subway fire in 2020.
Garrett Goble, a married father of two, was working as a motorman when a fire was set on the train he was operating. Despite his heroic efforts to evacuate passengers, he tragically succumbed to smoke inhalation. Vicki Goble’s grief over her son’s death led her to move from Brooklyn to Arizona in 2022.
She criticized the MTA for not providing workers with fire extinguishers in their cabins, a safety measure she and Garrett’s wife had advocated for since his passing. Vicki Goble emphasized the importance of prioritizing fire safety in the subways for both workers and passengers.
The recent death of a homeless woman in a subway car fire has reignited concerns about safety in the MTA system. The alleged perpetrator, a Guatemalan migrant, has been arrested for the horrific crime. Vicki Goble expressed disappointment in the lack of progress in fire safety measures within the MTA.
Despite the MTA’s statement that fire extinguishers are available along the tracks and in station booths, Vicki Goble believes more needs to be done to modernize the system and improve safety standards.
