Fatality at Twyford (22/05)

[cactustwirly]

Just seen a fatality at Twyford a few minutes ago. Most likely to affect the evening peak.

Extremely bad news for all involved. Hope the driver recovers.

 

[tsr]

Another one there! I'm sure there've been a couple lately. Very bad news for all involved - and of course for Bank Holiday weekend travel (on a less important note but nonetheless relevant).

 

[Mag_seven]

Just seen a fatality at Twyford a few minutes ago. Most likely to affect the evening peak.

Oh goody goody gum drops - just what Paddington needs on a Friday evening before a bank holiday.

 

[cactustwirly]

Apparently the line has reopened, disruption expected until midnight

 

[plymothian]

And as usual the Tw@terati are out moaning regarding no information, yet one tweet stated that the info at PAD was great

 

[PHILIPE]

Train involved was 1B46 14 45 Paddington to Swansea. Many cancellations out of Paddington as a result.

 

[ess]

the M4 was also closed at J12-J11 tonight

 

[animationmilo]

Train involved was 1B46 14 45 Paddington to Swansea. Many cancellations out of Paddington as a result.

What set was working that?

Not the best afternoon for everyone involved.

 

[Dieseldriver]

Genuine question, why do you need to know which set was involed? Someone was killed, the driver has been through a massively traumatic event and people's lives have been changed. It's an issue completely separate to, and much more important than train spotting.

 

[Antman]

Genuine question, why do you need to know which set was involed? Someone was killed, the driver has been through a massively traumatic event and people's lives have been changed. It's an issue completely separate to, and much more important than train spotting.

However this is a railway forum so it doesn't seem to me an unreasonable question for someone to ask.

 

[SouthStand]

However this is a railway forum so it doesn't seem to me an unreasonable question for someone to ask.

Agreed. Surely being a driver, fatalities are an occupational hazard no?

 

[Mag_seven]

Line was opened reasonably quickly - social media reports person involved was still alive and was airlifted to hospital but sadly died later,

 

[SWTH]

Agreed. Surely being a driver, fatalities are an occupational hazard no?

Technically yes, but everyone deals with it differently. Some can (at least outwardly) get over it quickly and return to work, other people it can seriously affect to the point of requiring counselling or worse. It's not just drivers either - guards can be just as badly affected by having to potentially deal with a seriously/fatally injured person until the paramedics arrive.

As railwaymen, we all accept the potential for a fatality, and work in the knowledge that at some point we may well have to deal with the consequences of someone hit by a train, whether accidental or a suicide attempt. In truth, I have no idea how I would react to or deal with such an event - I would hope I would act with safety and professionalism as my priorities, but who knows how I would cope with the mental aftermath?

 

[Dieseldriver]

Agreed. Surely being a driver, fatalities are an occupational hazard no?

Funnily enough I bumped into a guy yesterday and got chatting. Turned out he was an ex driver who had left after suffering the trauma of someone being mown down by the train he was at the controls of. He was telling me it took him 12 years to come to terms with the event. There are others I know of with similar stories. Train drivers aren't paid to run people over, it's not in our job description.

 

[Antman]

Funnily enough I bumped into a guy yesterday and got chatting. Turned out he was an ex driver who had left after suffering the trauma of someone being mown down by the train he was at the controls of. He was telling me it took him 12 years to come to terms with the event. There are others I know of with similar stories. Train drivers aren't paid to run people over, it's not in our job description.

Obviously bus/coach/lorry drivers aren't either but realistically there is no way of preventing these tragedies.

The trauma can effect others too, there was a fatality at West Malling in Kent last Sunday which was witnessed by passengers on the platform.

 

[HilversumNS]

Agreed. Surely being a driver, fatalities are an occupational hazard no?

Even if you could call it an "occupational hazard" does that mean causing someone's death through no fault of their own is not a traumatic experience?

If you drive, do you ever consider what you could cause if something in your car broke at the wrong time? How would you feel if that led to fatalities? Or is that just an occupational hazard of driving?

I very much doubt that train drivers have conversations like this:

"Yea, got another one on the ECML today, that's 4 now"
"Hard luck, hope there wasn't too much mess on the windscreen this time"

The above might be suitable for a pidgeon striking the train, not when there are people involved.

 

[monsento]

ive seen a fatality while at work, i've somehow managed to force the image out of my head, as i really didn't want it, but it stays with you... someones daughter sister mother wife etc...

unless your a robot or a monster you never want to see person who has died from extreme trauma.


as for what set it is that has to be the weirdest thing i've read on here, and this forum usually goes all over the spectrum but that one is a new one for me ergh...

but its a railway forum.... perhaps next we should post the aftermath to

 

[animationmilo]

I apologise sincerely to everyone on here for asking about the set
Sorry to all.

 

[455driver]

I apologise sincerely to everyone on here for asking about the set
Sorry to all.

No need to apologise, just because some people find it distasteful doesn't mean the rest of us do.

 

[AndyPJG]

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-32857408

First Great Western apologises for 'shocking' death announcement

A train company has apologised after a staff member made a "shocking and callous" loudspeaker announcement about a death on the line.
Passengers aboard a train to Plymouth said they were twice told it was delayed because someone "couldn't be bothered to live anymore".
Esmee Phillips, 21, complained to First Great Western, saying it left people "completely open-mouthed".
The company has apologised for "any distress caused".
Its services were disrupted on Friday after a man was killed by a train between Slough and Reading.
Esmee Phillips said passengers were left "completely open-mouthed"
Miss Phillips was travelling back from Oxford to Plymouth on a delayed service and said a female staff member made two loudspeaker announcements about the fatality.
She said the announcement said: "Our delays are due to someone who couldn't be bothered to live anymore.
"Because of this, there are severe delays. Some of you have missed your connecting flights for the Bank Holiday."
'Cringed'
Miss Phillips said she and other passengers "cringed" at the message.
"It was shocking as it was said in a very callous and tasteless way, especially as you don't know what personal experiences other passengers have gone through," she said.
Fellow passenger Jay Young said the announcements, made once near Westbury and again just before Exeter, made passengers in his carriage "gasp".
First Great Western said: "We expect high standards from our onboard teams, who are trained to make clear announcements about delays.
"When this involves a fatality this should be done with sensitivity and care. We're sorry for any distress caused to customers yesterday and can confirm that this incident is under investigation."

 

[Antman]

I apologise sincerely to everyone on here for asking about the set
Sorry to all.

There's really no need to apologise as far as I'm concerned, this is a railway forum after all:roll:

 

[Flamingo]

I apologise sincerely to everyone on here for asking about the set
Sorry to all.

Don't worry, it was a bit thoughtless, not malicious.

 

[trentside]

Regarding the announcements mentioned above, I'm normally keen to defend rail staff, but as a guard myself I can't condone the actions if they are reported factually. While a lot of staff have strong feelings about railway suicides it's important the information is conveyed to passengers sensitively. As pointed out, you never know what experiences those on your train have had.

 

[monsento]

Don't worry, it was a bit thoughtless, not malicious.

this what i should have said

 

[Flamingo]

Regarding the announcements mentioned above, I'm normally keen to defend rail staff, but as a guard myself I can't condone the actions if they are reported factually. While a lot of staff have strong feelings about railway suicides it's important the information is conveyed to passengers sensitively. As pointed out, you never know what experiences those on your train have had.

Have to agree there. You never know who is on the train, it could even be a relative or friend of the casualty.

 

[Bletchleyite]

No need to apologise, just because some people find it distasteful doesn't mean the rest of us do.

I don't care what set it is, but I don't see why it is a distasteful question any more than any other about the facts of the incident.

 

[GB]

I don't necessarily find it distasteful, but a bit of forethought and perspective of the situation would probably be sensible.

 

[D1009]

Oh goody goody gum drops.

Surely this was a more distasteful comment.

 

[Mag_seven]

Surely this was a more distasteful comment.

Well I can assure you it was not meant to be. I suppose my quote is just one of many these days where you have to "tread on egg-shells" where even the most innocent comment can "cause offence". Maybe we would should just ban threads on fatalities.

 

[fairysdad]

I was speaking to one of the gateline staff at Paddington earlier on and he mentioned this incident, saying that it was up until midnight before things were 'back on track' (as 'twere) and that BTP were called in to manage some of the crowds of passengers for their long-distance services.

And this being less than a week after another fatality at the same location (last Sunday - thankfully yet somewhat selfishly, I was on one of the trains that passed Twyford shortly before the incident)

(Somewhat annoyingly, I was also caught up in the fall-out from the fatality near Stoke-on-Trent last Friday as well...)

Thoughts are definitely with the drivers and families involved. And I know this isn't the thread for it, and that there are other threads concerning fatalities, but has this been a common hotspot location for this in the past, and is there anything there that could possibly reduce the chances of it?