Samuel L. Jackson recently opened up about a terrifying incident in 1988 when he was dragged by a New York City subway train, saying he thought he would not survive to see his birthday or Christmas.

Speaking on the Mad, Sad & Bad podcast hosted by singer Paloma Faith, Jackson, 76, recalled how his foot became caught in the door of the last car of a train on the A line, leading to a harrowing experience just days before the holidays.

"I was in the middle door of the last car, and it was a long-a** train station," Jackson said, as quoted by AllHipHop. "And when the door closed on my foot, (the) train took off. So, I'm sitting there thinking, I'm like, 'Oh, f**k, I'm going to die.'"

As the train gained speed, Jackson said he was dragged along the platform with no way to free himself or pull away from the moving car.

"I could see the tunnel coming, and I couldn't figure out anything that I could grab or hold on to and get close to the train so I wouldn't get killed in the tunnel," he said.

The veteran actor said it was a passenger on crutches who ultimately pulled the emergency cord and saved his life.

"The guy who pulled the emergency cord was on crutches," Jackson explained.

"Everybody else in there was trying to open the door, get my foot out the door, push and push and pull and try and take my shoe off. And he was going to the emergency cord and he finally pulled it and stopped it."

During the ordeal, Jackson said he feared not just for his life, but for what his death would mean for his loved ones.

"When I was being dragged, all I could think of was, it was going to be a really sad Christmas, because it was like a few days before Christmas. So I was going to miss my birthday and all that. I was like, 'Damn, it's gonna be fked up. It's gonna be a fked up Christmas this year.'"

When Faith asked whether the near-death experience had made him more philosophical, Jackson responded bluntly.

"F**k no, I'm Black. I got my own problems, you know. Just being," he said. "I grew up in segregation, so I've been, you know, dealing with, you know, existential bullsh*t my whole life."

In a 2021 interview with Vanity Fair, Jackson revealed he tore his ACL and meniscus during the accident and spent nearly a year recovering on crutches.

He later sued the New York City Transit Authority and was awarded $540,000 in damages.

The incident took place long before Jackson became one of Hollywood's most recognizable and bankable stars, known for roles in Pulp Fiction, the Avengers franchise, and dozens of other films.

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Samuel L. Jackson, Vanity Fair