Recruitment
“One morning, A Freightliner train driver Tommy Simpson was on his way back, as he was passing through a station he noticed a young girl sitting in the cess at the bottom of the railway access steps by a bridge. Tommy immediately hit the emergency brake plunger and the girl stood up as the train approached her but luckily never made any contact with the train. Tommy then made an emergency GSMR call to the signaler. While Tommy was on the phone, Freightliner train driver Matt Hayward, who was a travelling passenger with Tommy, made his way back into the safe cess to check on the girl.
Tommy completed his call with the signaler and confirmed that all lines were blocked. He then secured his train and walked back to check on Matt and the young girl. Luckily, she was uninjured but very distressed and clearly under the influence of drugs or alcohol or both.
Tommy then liaised with Control and the BT police to safely get the girl away from the track. As it took a while for the police to arrive, the girl made her way up the steps where Tommy was waiting for the police and started making a move on foot. Worried for her safety, Tommy phoned Control and explained that the girl was on the move and walking down the road, informing the police that he would wait for them there so he could point them in the right direction.
The girl then suddenly collapsed, so Tommy and Matt rushed over and flagged down an ambulance and then the police. After leaving their details with BT police, Tommy and Matt headed back to the train with the Network Rail Mobile Operations Manager (MOM) who had arrived, spoke to the signaler, and resumed their return journey to Ipswich, probably not even comprehending that they had in all likelihood, prevented a severe line side incident/injury or, at worse, potentially saved this young girl’s life.
Tommy and Matt should be commended and recognised for their quick actions and professionalism in dealing with this unfortunate and distressing incident involving a member of the public and thoroughly deserving of the RailStaff Samaritans Lifesaver Award.“
“We had a wonderful time on holiday , absolutely loved the whole trip particularly the Grand Canyon and San Francisco. Myself and my wife would like to thank everyone at Railstaff for the opportunity to take the Americas Golden West trip and special thank you for doing all the organising for ourselves and all the other award winners. I wish you all continued success and good luck to all the nominees for 2008.”
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