Man Saved By Quick-Thinking Woman Who Saw Him Fall Through Gap On Train Platform
A man's life was saved after a quick-thinking woman spotted that he'd fallen onto the tracks and was in danger of being run over.
She spotted the man begin to stumble before he collapsed and fell onto the track at Blackhorse Road station in east London late at night on Tuesday (28 June).
It was around 10:45pm when the man fell onto the train tracks and would almost certainly have been crushed by the train had his fall not been spotted by the woman.
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She was able to stop the train from departing and likely killing the unfortunate man by holding a door open and shouting for the train driver to stop.
Thanks to her quick-thinking and timely intervention another group of passengers were able to safely reach down and haul the man to safety.
Staff sat with him on the platform afterwards and offered to call him an ambulance, though luckily he was able to leave the station 'unharmed'.
The incident was caught on camera, with the fallen man appearing to be dazed as other passengers lifted him back onto the safety of the platform.
In the video she was heard to say: "I'm walking and he's stumbling and I'm looking at him and he's gone towards the train and he's just slipped through the gap, and the doors are about to close and I'm shouting, don't [drive off]."
Her fellow passengers were full of praise for her heroic intervention, with one person calling her an 'angel' and another saying 'miracles do happen everyday'.
Another witness described the man's fall and subsequent rescue as a 'scary moment' where 'everyone was screaming and rushing to help', explaining that 'he was so lucky she was there' to spot he'd fallen.
Transport for London (TfL) were able to confirm that the train was held on the platform while the passenger was pulled to safety.
A TfL spokesperson said: "Staff and nearby customers helped pull a customer to safety, who fell between the platform and train at Blackhorse Road station.
"This must have been an upsetting incident for everyone involved and we are thankful that the customer was able to leave the station unharmed."
There's a reason the announcements tell you to 'please mind the gap between the train and the platform edge', and this is it.
Luckily, this man – who appeared to faint and fall into the gap – was spotted before tragedy struck and there's a woman out there who can feel proud that her quick-thinking saved a life.
Joe Harker