LAST week, a US woman was gravely hurt in a freak subway accident.
After her leg slipped through the 12.7cm gap between the platform and train, the woman was so severely injured her thigh bone was reportedly visible through her skin.
Boston Globe reporter Maria Cramer, who happened to witness the scene at the Boston railway station, described the horrific wound as “twisted and bloody”.
However, as bystanders rushed to call an ambulance, the 45-year-old woman pleaded with them not to – for one heartbreaking reason which sums up the tragic reality of everyday life in the US for many of its people.
According to Ms Cramer, the woman sobbed as she begged witnesses not to fetch emergency services.
“Do you know how much an ambulance costs?” she wept.
“It’s $3000 ($A4060). I can’t afford that.”