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Mom With Child In Stroller Dies After Fall From Subway Station Stairs

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Connecticut mother with her child in a stroller is dead after what appears to be a tragic accident at a Midtown subway station on Monday.

Just before 8 p.m., police responded to a call about an unconscious 22-year-old woman inside of the Seventh Avenue B-D-E subway station in Midtown. Police said she fell down the steps while carrying a 1-year-old girl and a stroller. Officials say the child was treated at the scene.

"That's terrifying and there should be more elevator access in the subways," Upper West Side resident Elisa Caref said.

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The victim has been identified as Malaysia Goodson of Stamford, Conn. She was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

"When I was on the way to the hospital last night, I was praying that it wasn't her the whole time," Malaysia's brother, Dieshe, said. "Please don't be my sister."

Police say Goodson was not pushed. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority inspected the stairs, railing, and floor and didn't find any issues.

It wasn't immediately clear if nay underlying medical conditions made her lose her balance.

"Any time you see someone carrying a stroller you should stop and help them. They need the help," Josh Frost added.

Frost said he has a small child of his own and knows the struggle. While he said some people offer to help, that's not always the case.

"I understand that they can't put elevators and escalators everywhere, it's just too expensive, but if you can help someone it can go a long way so something like that doesn't happen," Frost said.

The station has two escalators, but no elevator. Only 118 of 472 subway stations across all five boroughs have elevators. Funding has been secured to upgrade accessibility to 26 more.

Goodson's family says she was a vibrant young woman devoted to her family, especially her daughter. The MTA calls her death "a heartbreaking tragedy" which they're investigating along with the NYPD and Medical Examiner's Office.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help pay for her daughter's education.

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