A Prince Edward Island doctor said he had no time to contemplate rescuing a disabled man who fell of out his wheelchair and onto the subway tracks in Washington, D.C., this week.

“I just knew what had to be done,” Dr. David Silverberg told CTV’s News Channel Friday.

Silverberg, a Charlottetown neurologist, was waiting for a train when he heard people screaming that someone had fallen off the platform. He looked down and saw a man lying on the ground between the train tracks.  

“He had no legs and I realized he was unconscious, he wasn’t moving,” Silverberg said. 

“Since the train wasn’t coming I felt it was reasonable to go down there and try to get him out. I didn’t really have much time to contemplate things.”

Silverberg jumped off the platform, careful not to touch the subway tracks and risk getting electrocuted. He grabbed the unresponsive man, and realized he was “dead weight.”

Silverberg asked another man on the platform for help and he, too, jumped down to help carry the disabled man to safety. They also retrieved his wheelchair.

The man was bleeding from his face. He regained consciousness after a few minutes and called his daughter on his cellphone, Silverberg said.

Silverberg and a few others stayed with the man until paramedics arrived. 

The entire incident was captured on surveillance video.

“I was pretty calm, actually,” Silverberg said. He said his training and experience as a physician have prepared him for unexpected emergencies. 

“You know in the back of your mind that if you don’t react the proper way, you’ll regret it the rest of your life.”

Silverberg said his only regret is that he didn’t find out the man’s name.

He said everything happened so fast, but he would love to learn more about the person he helped save.