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A Sydney woman has escaped with her life after quick thinking action from platform staff at Sydney Trains prevented her from being dragged to her death after her arm got stuck in the door.
People who witnessed the incident said that the lady had rushed onto the platform seconds before the train was due to depart. In an effort to board the train she stuck her arm through the closing door – an act that is meant to make the door open again.
Her arm was too slim however and the door failed to open. Instead the train started to move off down the platform at Chatswood Train Station on Sydney’s lower north shore.
Fortunately for the unnamed women her predicament was spotted by a fellow commuter who managed to alert the platform attendant. In turn he was able to communicate with the trains guard and the 400 tonne vehicle came to a stop allowing the panicked passenger to free herself.
Commenting on the incident Stewart Mills the Acting Chief Executive of Sydney Trains said it was never a good idea to put a hand through the door in an attempt to delay its departure.
Speaking to 7News he cautioned, ““There will be other trains coming, so don’t put yourself at risk.” He described the simple and common-place act as ‘dangerous behaviour.’
Mills went on to pay tribute to his staff whose calm and quick thinking he said, had almost certainly saved the woman’s life.
““It’s the vigilance of the guard and the platform staff that would have stopped it,” he said before going on to stress the overall safety record of Sydney Trains.
According to statistics on train usage, only three out of every million train passengers suffer some kind of injury. The number is very low, especially considering that approximately 400 million people use the service every year.
Meanwhile it was reported that the lucky woman who escaped with her life was unharmed. She did not need first aid treatment and was able to catch another train.