as wcbs's john slattery reports the black lab is being hailed as a hero. >> reporter: the man who isto be alive is 61-year-old cecil williams of brooklyn. you can see him here in his hospital bed with his 10-year-old service dog orlando. he has tears in his eyes, grateful that they made it through their ordeal. the two survived a fall to the subway tracks with 1 1/2 subway cars rolling over them. >> it definitely was a miracle. >> reporter: it happened at 136th street around 9:00 a.m. the train was not yet into the station when people on the platform saw cecil williams and his dog fall backward onto the track. >> everyone started freaking out. >> reporter: onlookers say the man looked wobbly as he stood near the edge. williams later said he felt faint. >> he was all the way backwards and i tried to pull him in. i tried to scream at him to come in because he was, you know, near the tracks. >> reporter: and then he fell. >> then he fell. >> reporter: both the dog and the man avoided being hit by the train's wheels. >> he ended up in the middle of the rails. >> reporter: bystanders yell