Showing posts with label Train incidents. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Train incidents. Show all posts

How to help someone in train

Saket Gokhale's presence of mind and the efforts of Railway cops helped save a drunken woman from all we know she could have faced in the late-night hours travelling alone in a local train on January 10, 2012. The incident, which should be a learning for us all, highlights that while harmful elements exist in the city, there are still many who go out of their way to help others. It also puts light on that fact that Railway police is indeed helpful.

Helpline Numbers
Read on Saket's account of the story, so that you know what to do when you face a similar incident:

This happened just a few hours ago and did quite reinforce my faith in this city and the people that keep it running.

I dropped a couple of friends from the airport to Mumbai Central this evening and then decided to take the last train northwards. The Virar slow local train was just pulling in to platform 1. A woman (in her late 20s) dressed in a salwar kameez asked me 'Bhai, yeh train Goregaon jaaega?' (Will this train take me to Goregaon). I said yes, and instinctively felt something was wrong. I was just about to board the train and then realised this woman was too drunk to be able to walk. She narrowly missed falling down and somehow stumbled into the train.

It was the 2nd class general compartment and the train was relatively empty. She again asked a few people if the train would go to Goregaon and then passed out on the seats. In the beginning, I didn't think much of it until a few stations later a few drunken men got into the compartment and kept staring at her. The whole thing felt super odd and as Bandra approached, I was getting a bit worried about how this woman will get off at Goregaon (she was completely sloshed and has passed out). The one drunken guy sitting across the seat from her did not look like he was up to any good.

Accidents

Every other day we hear news of people falling off from Mumbai local trains or dying while crossing railway tracks. If that's not enough, there are train derailments and accidents at times. While the latter is out of the control of commuters, losing life while crossing tracks / standing at the footboard can be avoided.
On the right track?

On Independence Day itself, two people met with train casualties.  
  • 36-year old Abdul Rahim Shaikh fell of a CST-bound train at Dadar... unfortunately he could not be saved. 
  • 22-year old Yusuf Shaikh got three of his toes crushed as he too fell on the tracks after his train crossed Dadar station.
While we all know that crossing tracks / travelling on the footboard is dangerous, we tend to do so. At that moment we think we are careful enough, at that moment we think nothing bad will happen... but remember - all those who lost their life / limbs thought the same. 

Announcing ACCIDENTS section on this site
Here's an attempt to list such casualties so that we are constantly aware of what we can face, so that we NEVER make the slightest mistake. After all, it's not the hospital / crematorium we intend to reach by trains, is it? 

If you are aware of any such incident / have faced something after which you decided never to cross tracks, do share it here. 

November 1, 2011: College student dies after hitting railway pole - 17-year old Jaideep lost his life when his head hit a railway pole

October 2, 2011: No Foot to Keep on Footboard - Kadar Shaikh lost his leg while losing grip on the vertical rod at train's footboard.

September 25, 2011: Man loses arm thanks to inhuman commuters, authorities - 45-year old Shivaji Ambavale fell off while trying to board a running train.

August 15, 2011: 36-year old Abdul Rahim Shaikh fell of a CST-bound train at Dadar... unfortunately he could not be saved. 22-year old Yusuf Shaikh got three of his toes crushed as he too fell on the tracks after his train crossed Dadar station.

Lost and found: Bag full of cash in train

Thanks to the alert cops!
Two GRP constables returned a bag containing Rs 47500 and important documents to a student who had left it behind in a Titwala-bound train. Read more about the Hindustan Times story here - Cops return bag with cash, books found in train