Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Accident at the local train station.

I wrote the following passage the day this incident happened (March 19th) and posted it to an internet group that I’m a member of. Yesterday I had my camera with me at my local train station where it occurred and was able to take some pics to help tell this story. So today I decided to post this to my blog also.

Yutaka and I were heading into the city this morning. At our local train station the train pulls up Local Station and a family of a Grandma, Mother and little (2 or 3 year old) son rush up to the door. Yutaka and I were standing behind them a bit to the side and then right in front of my eyes, the Mother and Grandma step onto the train and the little boy steps into the gap between the train and the platform and falls straight down! Train and platform gap.

So the Mum starts going ballistic, I signal the train driver to stop (or not go) then get down on my knees to try and help the poor little thing. It was such a long way down and we couldn't reach him and then this big guy rushes up and just pulls him up in one swift movement.

All the little boy had was a bit of dirt on his face (not to mention he'll probably be scared of trains for life).

Man, it was soooo scary. I can't even imagine what the Mother felt. My heart was pumping for so long afterwards.

This station is currently under construction to make the platform stick out more towards the train, the old gap was stupidly wide. But this little boy fell at the new (narrower) section. Platform and tracks.

I feel all teary just thinking about it.

Extra story- I just remembered a few years ago at a train station at the end of the line, the doors open on one side, shut, then open on the other. I had got off the train and was walking along the platform when I saw the door shut...right on an old man! He was stuck and people were trying to pry open the door.

Now, i'm just scaring myself with these stories...

8 comments:

MomKori said...

Hello. I enjoy reading your post although I haven’t left a comment so far…
I live in Nara and used to commute to a school in Osaka. I know how dangerous it can be when you get on and off a train… I remember the gap at a station I got off was very wide and every time I got off I had to be careful not to fall. It was sacry. Really, even to an adult.

kuri, ping, the pinglet, & mini-ping said...

Hi Laura! That is really scary...I'm glad that you and other people saw that the little boy had fallen and were able to get him up without too much problem. I'm sure he's forgotten all about it. :) That's the good thing about kids! :)

BTW, love your new top banner!

Laura said...

Thanks for the comments. The new top banner took me a while to figure out, as i'm not too computer or HTML literate. I took the photo of sushi when we ordered some in one night.

Momkori, I used to live in Nara too (Saidaiji). I miss Nara, it was so much more laid back than Osaka.

Andrea said...

told the DH about this and he was gobsmacked too!!!!!!!!

deenster said...

Eek...that sounds very scary!! Thank goodness for bystanders like you! Without you to signal the train to stop and the man who pulled the little boy out it could have been a tragic accident.

MomKori said...

Thank you about the link. Please let me link yours from mine, too. :)

Saidaiji is close. Sometimes I go shopping to NaraFamily!

Turtle Guy said...

Here in Calgary we have the C-train - a light rail transit system, above ground for the most part.

I haven't heard of many, if any accidents lately, but for a while we seemed to have them, and seriously in runs. Pedestrians who would try to beat the train while the bells and whistles were going off, motorists running red lights - straight into a train, and one girl who, about 15 years ago got her arm stuck in a closing door on the train and was dragged off the platform and later died... huge investigation there. I know the platforms here are flush with the train -- only about a half inch between the train and the platform.

What I remember as a kid was waiting to get on a farriswheel at the stampede... somehow i didn't understand where to go or what to do... I ducked in to the wrong spot and just about got whompped by a car as it approached the ground... however, that's not what scares me about them now... it's the height!!

Anonymous said...

car insurance rating
car insurance ny
state farm car insurance
buy car insurance online
admiral car insurance
car insurance broker
car insurance n
progressive car insurance quote
auto cheap insurance
infinity car insurance
in car insurance
new york car insurance
fresno car insurance
car accident insurance
classic car insurance
washington car insurance
direct line car insurance
progressive car insurance quote
cheap car insurance uk
direct car insurance
churchil
l car insurance

car insurance coverage
compare car insurance quote
car insurance quote online uk
cheap car insurance online
young driver car insurance
car insurance
geico car insurance
low cost car insurance online
car insurance san diego

http://cheap-car-insurance.quickfreehost.com

Random Keyword: :)
budget car insurance