Phillip Winchester

Said the following about David O'Connor:

“I have nominated David O'Connor as it is my belief that on the late evening in August 2016 he went over and above what would normally be expected on that day. Dave was driving a Networker train, which doesn’t have as bright headlights as a 375. He was approaching platform 1 and as he came round the bend from of a tunnel he spotted a ‘blur’/slight movement in front of the train in the 4ft. He immediately realised it was a person on the track and applied full emergency brake and sounded the horn, coming to a stop just before the ramp to platform 1 & 2.

Dave was aware that he’d passed the person on the second man side of the train as he’d seen the top of a head. He contacted the signaller and advised him that there was someone on the line. He opened the window on the second man side and called down to the person to stop, but they kept on walking towards the tunnel. By this time Dave had identified that it was a female approximately 30’s, dressed all in black.

Dave secured the train and made a PA announcement to the passengers. He spotted some abandoned bags on the end of the platform, then called out again to the lady to stop which again was ignored. The platform staff were then approaching and he called to them to get an emergency power switch off as he had no time to back to the radio as the lady was still walking back towards the tunnel. He then got down on to the track to try to talk to her but she just continued walking over the points.

She asked him if she could smoke a cigarette and after she had lit it she told him that she believed she was worthless and that no one cared about her, that she was just a hindrance to everyone. Dave patiently coaxed her to tell him why she thought this and what had happened. During this conversation Dave was careful not to get to close to her so that she might feel threatened by him but he managed to manoeuvre himself between the lady and the tunnel, to block her further progress down the line.

The driver of the train on platform 2 then approached but Dave managed to signal him to stop about 10m away so that she didn’t feel threatened as he felt he was beginning to gain her trust. After a long discussion he convinced her to come back to the platform with him and promised to stay with her and talk to her but he emphasised that she had to trust him and do just what he said to get her there safely. He promised not to grab her but offered her his arm to hold on to so that she could, if she felt it necessary, let go.

The driver from the train in platform 2, with her permission, then also came to assist in returning her to the platform where they were met by the station staff. She was escorted by Dave and the platform staff upstairs at the station, both the police and an ambulance had by this time been called.

The other driver then took charge of Dave’s train and once the current was restored, moved the train into the platform where the passengers were de-trained and put onto the service on platform 2.

Dave stayed with the lady until the ambulance arrived and she felt ok to be left in their care.

For these reasons I felt that David O'Connor demonstrated both compassion & a good understanding of how to deal with desperate people at their most worrying times and fully warrants this nomination“