Sympathy for train victims
Dan Bourke mulls over the best reaction to "passenger action"
A witty intro here would probably be a tad insensitive, so I’ll just put it like this: on my way to work on Sunday my Tube train hit someone.
Observing the reaction of Tube staff and the general feeling around London Bridge station after it happened, I assume two things although I can’t say precisely why: that the person is dead and that they did it on purpose.
The first indication that the relaxed weekend crowd and I got that something was up was the doors not opening.
Or had the train jammed to a halt? It did at some point on the journey, but as I stood there waiting to exit still listening to music with my book in my hand by a tourist family, I couldn’t for the life of me remember if it was 10 seconds before or 10 minutes.
I took out an earphone to hear the driver speaking.
The message was blunt – strangely so for this, the age of the euphemism. “The doors aren’t opening because we have a body under the train.�
The young boy next to me wasn’t propelled into shock. His calm dad gave him a reassuring pat and that was it.
It’s right that we were told. Right because the truth is important to safety in any number of ways.
Right because in some tiny way we shared the driver’s awful experience, and that’s a burden that should be spread around as many people as possible.
And right because we just should know that these things happen.
As the announcement was made a young woman with an arty, crop haircut and carrying a book came through the internal doors with great purpose. She walked past me and on through to the next carriage.
My first thought was that she was a doctor. Or maybe a London Underground worker. Or maybe someone in a really insensitive hurry.
Some bright yellow jackets ran past, and the doors were opened manually. The Tannoy was telling us the Northern line was suspended. As I made for the Jubilee line stairs I passed the front of the train and we all had a look. The front cabin had stopped about 10 metres short of the tunnel. That is all we saw that was unusual.
On the Jubilee line platform we listened as the station was told about the person under the train. The woman with the short hair was there, not happy or sad.
Then they evacuated the whole station. Is this normal? Was there a bomb?
I got the boat. I stared out at the river not feeling happy or sad.
The cliched response to train delays caused by “passenger action� is, of course: “Selfish b******.�
You hear it in offices all the time, and I argued here last year how repugnant it is, and how false.
I heard none of that, I’m pleased to say. And had just sympathy for the passenger and the driver.
Dan Bourke can also be found at blogs.mirror.co.uk/opposite-of-work
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RE: The body under the train at London Bridge.
Please know I am writing because a completely blind friend of mine was killed at London Bridge station on Sunday night/Monday morning. He was a highly successful person, loyal to his friends, humorous as hell, and well settled in life and the owner of a successful business. He was also very much loved - probably by a hundred people or more. His last words to his best friend less than 20 minutes before dying were about a meeting first thing in the morning. He was in high spirits at that time.
This death happened despite his other friend requesting our friend receive assistance to the train.
Two things:
One: The acoustics of that station are difficult for blind people. At the gathering to celebrate our friend's life, there were several blind people who said they had all "kissed the rails" at least once in their life. It is easy to do if a train on an immediately adjacent track has beeping doors and you have just heard that your intended train is approaching the platform and you think it is at the platform. Unfortunately, the person will have walked onto the platform at the time their train is just reaching it. End of story. End of life.
Two: As for reactions: We haven't seen any. No notices in the paper and the "system" delaying the inquest. Try October!
It would be nice to think that people on the platform would have helped our friend before he made the fatal mistake. It would be nice to think that people would offer assistance to blind people - period. It would be even nicer to think that another blind friend who went to the same station less than 24 hours later would have received the assistance she asked for. The rail staff basically ignored her request - and she was left demanding her rights.
The chance of this being another suicide are about zero in our minds. But it is awfully convenient for people to assume it was.
Oh but wait - there is more. How can my blind friends submit their response to your blog? They can't read the letters in Captcha to get their info through to you