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Southeastern employee reported attitude towards passenger having a fit

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Wolfie

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I really hope that this story is inaccurate. Reports that a Southeastern Rail Enforcement stated that he didn't care that a black woman was having an epileptic fit and that the delay was all that mattered.


A man desperately sought help as his sister had a seizure on a train was told by a Southestern employee he "did not care" about the issue as it was causing delays.

University student Nichelle Kelleher was travelling home on Monday when she suffered an epileptic fit.

Her brother went to find help but upon coming across an employee says he was to he "did not care as he was holding up the service".

After coming round Nichelle confronts the railway enforcement officer who admits he said he "did not care what he was saying as he was delaying the train".
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bramling

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I really hope that this story is inaccurate. Reports that a Southeastern Rail Enforcement stated that he didn't care that a black woman was having an epileptic fit and that the delay was all that mattered.

"Southeastern to investigate after employee said he 'didn't care' about man's issue as he sought help for epileptic sister on train"


As usual, we are only seeing the second half of something, so it's essentially worthless in determining what may or may not have happened.
 

Wolfie

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As usual, we are only seeing the second half of something, so it's essentially worthless in determining what may or may not have happened.
In isolation l agree and was careful not to offer any view about the accuracy of the story. The individual has what might be a camera fitted so that should show more.
 

43066

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What does the woman's race have to do with anything?

I was thinking the same. If an allegation of racist abuse had been made then that might be relevant, but this woman’s race seems to have been highlighted purely to whip up a “#BLM” angle to the story.

Depends on what was said and done before of course, but I struggle to fault his behaviour in the video.
 

bramling

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I was thinking the same. If an allegation of racist abuse had been made then that might be relevant, but this woman’s race seems to have been highlighted purely to whip up a “#BLM” angle to the story.

Depends on what was said and done before of course, but I struggle to fault his behaviour in the video.

Yes I can’t see anything wrong with the bit we see. A bit “jack the lad” perhaps, but everything he does and says is perfectly satisfactory.

Likewise I can see no relevance what type of person she is.
 

Horizon22

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The REO seems pretty confident (perhaps a bit too arrogant, but REOs are not as pleasant generally as RPOs...) in what he's saying (and presumably can back up whatever he said before which is off camera). We don't know what he said he "didn't care" about but from the video's angle he makes that out to only be some comments the brother of the person who had the epilectic fit made - he even states that if she was having one at that time, he would of course care. What these comments were are of course are unknown. As with many issues, its currently very one-sided and I doubt we'll see the other side of the story.
 

Bungle73

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I was thinking the same. If an allegation of racist abuse had been made then that might be relevant, but this woman’s race seems to have been highlighted purely to whip up a “#BLM” angle to the story.

Depends on what was said and done before of course, but I struggle to fault his behaviour in the video.

They've used the "#everydayracism #blacklivesmatter" hashtags in the Black Project instagram that is connected with this story.

I don't like the way they are trying to label this as racism when there is nothing to suggest that at all. I also don't like the way that someone's face has been splashed all over the media, with allegations that they have not been able to defend themselves against.

But KOL have form on going with a one-sided sensationalist "Oh I've been victimised" stories whenever someone comes running to them with one. As an example, a little while ago they ran a story about someone who claimed to have been banned from Iceland for complaining there weren't enough tills open. The actual story was that they'd been banned because they'd been abusive to staff......
 
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REO Nate

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The other side of the story is significantly different. I personally know the REO concerned and he is one of the most trustworthy and likeable people you could meet.

This is an ongoing matter, so I won’t comment further.
 

al78

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I personally know the REO concerned and he is one of the most trustworthy and likeable people you could meet.
That may be true but criticising someone's behaviour is not a character assasination. It is possible for an upstanding respected law abiding citizen to behave badly at any specific time, and their overall personality is irrelevant as to whether they should be called out on that behaviour. It is the behaviour that is being called into question, not the person.
 

REO Nate

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That may be true but criticising someone's behaviour is not a character assasination. It is possible for an upstanding respected law abiding citizen to behave badly at any specific time, and their overall personality is irrelevant as to whether they should be called out on that behaviour. It is the behaviour that is being called into question, not the person.
I never said it was.

Sadly the person IS being called into question as he has be labelled racist by those concerned.

I won’t comment on what happened but I’m hopeful the full circumstances come to light.
 

357

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I think the glaring issue for me is that we don't know what the brother was saying, all we know is that he was delaying the train.

It sounds like this is a regular situation staff are put in where instructions from companies and medical professionals are to remove the passenger from the train and wait for medical help on the platform as soon as the person has stopped fitting, but passengers in the immediate vicinity tend to prefer the person to stay where they are and the train to go nowhere.

I have been filmed many times when I was working on stations and when the person started filming I always made a point of explaining what had happened and been said before the video was started.
 

skyhigh

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I have been filmed many times when I was working on stations and when the person started filming I always made a point of explaining what had happened and been said before the video was started.
Always a good idea but doesn't stop people cutting that part off before posting it online, unfortunately.
 

eMeS

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This is a difficult one.
My younger brother (born in 1947) suffered from serious epilepsy from the age of 3, was damaged by the only drugs then offered, and was bad enough to have special schooling. As an adult, he still suffered a variety of attacks, and lived with others in similar condition; but in our experience, general medical professionals don't really understand what they're seeing.
One Sunday afternoon we were visiting a garden centre when my brother suffered a minor attack, and he got wet by falling in to a pond. Before we could take him home to a change of dry clothes, an ambulance had been called by the garden centre staff, and we had to follow him to the nearest large hospital with A&E. There, we waited and eventually my brother was seen by one of the junior doctors on duty, and it was clear this was the first example he'd seen of a post epileptic-fit adult. Eventually, I was asked what to do, and I said I'd like to get him home to dry clothes, and later to return him to his epileptic centre. We were then released, and my brother fortunately, suffered no ill effects from being in wet clothes for around 2-3 hours.
I knew my brother's condition and nature of his fits well, but I doubt if I'd be any use presented with another sufferer presenting in a different way.
 

185

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Interesting in these situations where a loved one is in a 'life threatening situation', priority is to film the incident for social media, and noticeably the first part of the video is always missing.

#cakematters #maniluuuuuvdecake
 

Aictos

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As usual, we are only seeing the second half of something, so it's essentially worthless in determining what may or may not have happened.
Exactly, before judging we should know all the facts.
 

jfowkes

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Interesting in these situations where a loved one is in a 'life threatening situation', priority is to film the incident for social media, and noticeably the first part of the video is always missing.

#cakematters #maniluuuuuvdecake
That isn't what seems to have happened here though. It was the person taking the video who had suffered the situation. After having recovered, what was recorded was them going to confront the guy who they thought had not dealt with it well.

It's not like they were taking video during the situation itself.
 

TRAX

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They've used the "#everydayracism #blacklivesmatter" hashtags in the Black Project instagram that is connected with this story.

I don't like the way they are trying to label this as racism when there is nothing to suggest that at all.

That habit is getting quite popular: some black people labelling any kind of white vs. black confrontation as racism, even if the black person is in the wrong, in the hope that more and more white people get discouraged of reproaching anything to a black person.
 

43066

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That isn't what seems to have happened here though. It was the person taking the video who had suffered the situation. After having recovered, what was recorded was them going to confront the guy who they thought had not dealt with it well.

It's not like they were taking video during the situation itself.

This assumes that the people concerned weren’t simply making the whole thing up for attention, of course!
 

Bungle73

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She's now taken this story to the London "media" (if you want to call them that), is now claiming to have been "covered in urine" and is very much not playing the "racism" card....

A single mother "covered in her own urine" after collapsing on a train following a fit was left feeling “terrible” after staff told her panicked brother trying to get help he was delaying the train.

Nichelle Kelleher, 29, was on a journey from London Bridge to Hastings with her sibling when she “blacked out” and collapsed into her chair.

The Brixton native says her brother tried to shake her awake and rushed to find South Eastern train staff who said they could not arrange medical assistance and that he was "delaying the train".

 

43066

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She's now taken this story to the London "media" (if you want to call them that), is now claiming to have been "covered in urine" and is very much not playing the "racism" card....

Other than in the part of the article you haven’t quoted where she blames the entire thing on her race.

It’s a complete non-event, why is it even in the papers?! Certain passengers the railway is far better off without…
 

Wolfie

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She's now taken this story to the London "media" (if you want to call them that), is now claiming to have been "covered in urine" and is very much not playing the "racism" card....



There is every chance that "My London" reached out to her rather than her "taking it to the London media". It's amazing how many on this site love to smear anyone who is critical of the railway.
 

al78

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It's amazing how many on this site love to smear anyone who is critical of the railway.
I have two theories on this:

1. People have read enough stories in the media regarding problem(s) on the railway that have been massively exaggerated or taken out of context that they are skeptical of most such media articles.

2. For rail enthusiasts and workers, the railway is a part of their identity, and criticism of the railway is subconsciously interpreted as an attack on their identity and sense of self, so they retaliate. Criticise a cyclist's behaviour on a cycling forum and you will get a similar response.
 

bramling

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I have two theories on this:

1. People have read enough stories in the media regarding problem(s) on the railway that have been massively exaggerated or taken out of context that they are skeptical of most such media articles.

2. For rail enthusiasts and workers, the railway is a part of their identity, and criticism of the railway is subconsciously interpreted as an attack on their identity and sense of self, so they retaliate. Criticise a cyclist's behaviour on a cycling forum and you will get a similar response.

Or that some people have experience in seeing and investigating complaints and allegations, and are aware that it is *very* common for reality to be rather different to what what a complainant claims. Hence the need to keep an open mind.
 

seagull

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There is every chance that "My London" reached out to her rather than her "taking it to the London media". It's amazing how many on this site love to smear anyone who is critical of the railway.

Please, "contacted" in British English rather than the awful Americanism of "reached out".

And don't worry, there are enough here that love to smear anyone who works for the railway to offset that tendency.
 

Trackman

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As usual, we are only seeing the second half of something, so it's essentially worthless in determining what may or may not have happened.
That's my thinking too.
I've listened to the audio but it's still unclear on what exactly happened.
 

alf

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Please, "contacted" in British English rather than the awful Americanism of "reached out".

And don't worry, there are enough here that love to smear anyone who works for the railway to offset that tendency.
Agree with both these points,

Using “impacted” rather than “affected” is in the same vein.

It is a non story but I suspect it may be taken up by local TV & radio.
 

Horizon22

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Or that some people have experience in seeing and investigating complaints and allegations, and are aware that it is *very* common for reality to be rather different to what what a complainant claims. Hence the need to keep an open mind.

This is the main thing. For the most part this thread has two articles / stories / info from the passenger's side and understandably nothing from Southeastern or the REO's side. There's still a big gap surrounding the actual incident, only the aftermath of it and Southeastern have said they're investigating it and concerned. Not much more to add really.

Some people naturally like to rail (pun) against organisations and "standing up for the little guy against big bad corporations" and no doubt there's some truth in some stories but the media sure does lap it up. It's not unique to the railway either.
 
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