Trevor Kennison enters NYC subway backwards in wheelchair

Metro

by Deirdre Bardolph

A heart-stopping, viral video shows a wheelchair-bound tourist in New York City descending subway stairs backwards, holding on to the banister as he makes his way down, one step at a time.

On his way to a Yankees game last week, professional “sit-skier” Trevor Kenison spun around on the top step and tumbled backwards down two flights of stairs at the Bleecker Street subway station.

Kennison’s video, which has been viewed 1.6 million times on TikTok, was intended to raise awareness of the accessibility issues faced by people with spinal cord injuries, reminding them that not all subway exits have elevators.

Passengers said only about a quarter of New York City’s stations were fully accessible, and the elevators at Bleecker Street station were out of service that day.

“I’m grateful to be able to do what I did in the video, but I have friends who are quadriplegics with no grip strength or who have the same injuries that I have. They can’t do that,” Kenison told The Washington Post.

The terrifying stunt left viewers in shock, with some wondering how he managed to get back out of the Tube station afterwards and others upset to see him touching the dirty banister.

“You panicked like a person in a power wheelchair,” one TikTok user commented about the power wheelchair. “You’re amazing,” said another commenter.

In 2014, Kenison, now 31, broke his spine in a snowboarding accident and was left paralyzed from the waist down.

He has since adapted to life in a wheelchair and become a professional skier.

a Netflix Documentaries A documentary released last year followed how he and mountaineer Barry Corbett adapted to extreme sports.

The film captures Kenison completing the world’s first double backflip on sit skis at Vail Pass in Colorado, the scene of the accident.

The Colorado man said he normally avoids the subway because elevators don’t always work, but he was on his way to a Bronx Bombers game and wanted to get the “full experience.”

The next day, he threw out the first pitch at the game against the Mets and played with first baseman Pete Alonso.

“The point is, how can I raise awareness, like I’ve done this crazy thing with skiing, but how can I raise awareness about accessibility and help my peers,” Kennison said.