Hero Ealing Broadway Workers Save Life of Toddler
Emergency declared after two-year-old fell between train and platform
Quick thinking Ealing Broadway staff jumped into action and saved the life of a toddler who'd fallen getting off a train at the busy station.
The incident happened at 8.15pm on Thursday December 13, on platform 4 when the two-and-a-half year old travelling with grandparents was trying to leave the train on foot but slipped between the platform and train, getting stuck in the process.
In the hair-raising few moments that followed, security operative Tony Nam – who was standing on the platform at the time – shouted to MTR Crossrail employee Laura Norris-Andrews that the child was trapped.
Tony Nam
She then shouted back to him to do two vital things: raise his arms and get someone to call the controlling signaller to ensure the train – the 2Y58 – did not move.
By raising his arms and running towards the driver, Tony acted in the way in which railway staff are trained to recognise instantly as an emergency signal: and the driver accordingly did not move off the platform – which would almost certainly have either seriously injured or even killed the trapped child.
Amrita Paunikar and Laura Norris-Andrews
Meanwhile, MTR Crossrail employee Amrita Paunikar, who was on platform three at the time, rushed to the control room, called the controlling signaller to get a block put on the line, phoned the ambulance as a precaution and ran towards platform four.
When she got there at 8.18pm, the child had been pulled to safety by grandparents, customers and staff and the driver was on the phone to the controlling signaller, asking for a block on the line and informing them what had happened.
MTR Crossrail HR Director, Alison Bell, said: “All railway staff are trained to deal with heart-in-the-mouth emergency situations such as this, because of course you just never know when the worst may happen.
Eroshani Yapa
“It is to their great credit that MTR Crossrail employees Laura Norris-Andrews and Amrita Paunikar plus security staff Tony Nam and Eroshani Yapa all worked together to act swiftly, instinctively and entirely correctly in stopping the train moving away from the platform. Had they not done so, what might have happened simply doesn’t bear thinking about.
“Railway staff work very hard to ensure customer safety at all times and we are sure that our passengers will want to be aware that they are trained to act fast in situations such as this. In fact, our team worked so fast in this instance, they couldn’t even tell us which gender the child was because the incident was over so promptly!”
At 8.21pm, the MTR Crossrail control department called the station to ask if the line was clear. Laura Norris-Andrews, double checking that it was, confirmed that was the case. The driver had also left her cab to check the child was OK.
The passengers politely declined the ambulance that was offered to them and made their own way home. After the scene was confirmed to be safe, the driver continued the journey just before 8.30pm, causing a delay of only 13 minutes.
The toddler’s shocked family were relieved their little one had come through unscathed and thanked all of the staff involved.
17 December 2018