Carer’s train ordeal at station (From News Shopper)

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Carer’s train ordeal at station

10:14am Wednesday 23rd July 2008

comment Comments (36) Have your say »

By David Mills and Charlotte McDonald »

A CARER has spoken of her "frightening" ordeal after a train door shut on her arm and began to pull her along the platform.

Geraldine Roberts was helping a group of people with learning disabilities off a train when her arm got caught in a closing door.

Two carers and three members of Avenues, a charity providing accommodation for people with learning disabilities, were getting off the train at Petts Wood at around 3pm on July 16.

Mrs Roberts had helped two people off the train and was standing on the platform helping a third when the door alarm sounded.

She began to scream, saying: "Don't shut the doors" but there were no staff there to hear her.

Mrs Roberts put her arm up to help the next person off the train but the doors closed on her arm.

The 53-year-old said: "I was screaming for them to open the door, thumping on the train.

"It began to move and I was taking little steps to keep up. I managed to yank my arm free and fell back on the platform.

"I was in agony, I was crying at Petts Wood station. I am so frightened to think what could have happened if the train left."

Mrs Roberts, of Petersham Drive, Orpington, says she dreads to think what would have happened if one of the people with learning disabilities had been caught in the doors.

Two people were stuck on the train as the doors closed and had to stay on the train until it reached Orpington.

The group of five had been on a holiday to Northampton organised through Avenues in Sidcup, a support service for people with learning disabilities.

Mrs Roberts said: "It spoilt a few days away.

"We came back and in seconds something so terrible happened, but it could have been far worse. I don't want to think about it.

"The others are too frightened to get back on a train."

Although the centre is based in Sidcup, it also has accommodation in Johnson's Court, Chislehurst Road, Petts Wood, where the five people were returning to.

Mrs Roberts went to Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup, and had her arm put in a sling as she had suffered severe bruising and stretched ligaments.

Southeastern, which operates the train line and the station, says if there is something blocking the doors, they will not close properly.

Only when the doors are closed fully will the driver be able to leave the station.

A spokesman for Southeastern confirmed a complaint had been made about the incident.

He said: "We are sorry to hear what happened to this lady and we are fully investigating the circumstances."

CCTV footage at the station will be checked as part of the investigation.

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Confused.com!, London says...
11:46am Wed 23 Jul 08

Im not saying i dont believe thi slady but i travel on southeastern trains to and from London every day and i know for a fact that the doors will just keep opening if something is blocking them and the train cannot pull away until all doors are closed? Seems like a very odd story to me..... maybe a compensation claim?! Sorry if im wrong just doesnt seem right

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Sue, Orpington says...
12:58pm Wed 23 Jul 08

Im the lady mentioned aboves daughter and would like to point out to "confused.com" that it is not a compensation claim and you have not seen my mothers arm so i suggest you do not comment on something you know nothing about, and just to point out that there is never any staff at petswood station and 9 times out of 10 the shutters at the ticket booth are also closed.

I would also like to mention the fact that the driver openly admitted at orpington station he could not see in his mirrors- there for should not have pulled off!!! My mother was not dragged along by the train but is just wanted to high light the dangers and incompetence of "trained" staff. To say that it is impossible for doors to shut with something blocking is not true and the CCTV will prove this!!!

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The Real Me, Here says...
1:30pm Wed 23 Jul 08

Sue, hates off to your old dear for all that she does but i dont believe here either. The trains are unable to move if the doors are open, its as simple as that. The amount of packed trains ive been on where the driver has come over the speaker saying "something is caught in the door, we cannot move until you open them, clear whats in them and then i can shut them again" im not saying the door didnt shut on your mums arm but i dont believe that it pulled her along the platform. now come on, own up - what really happened?

Lots of love

The Real Me

xxxxxxxxxx

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Susie, Bexley says...
1:41pm Wed 23 Jul 08

Regardless if there were any staff at the station I would not have matter if this did actually happen!! As real me and Confused.com have said until all doors are shut the train can't move, also most of the trains have a sensor in them and most times if something is blocking it will open again, believe me the amount of times I got my bag caught in closing door another thing these doors aint hard to open up manually and it should have been easy for her to open the doors i'm not strong at all and I've managed to open the doors just as they close to get on trains in the past!!

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sue, Orpington says...
1:43pm Wed 23 Jul 08

As i mentioned above she was not "dragged" along the doors simpley slammed shut on her arm and train started to go, she only took literally about 2 steps and then yanked her arm out, the point shew is trying to make - is not compensation but the fact that no staff were on duty to help or report it to and the fact that the driver admitted he couldnt see in his mirrors to check if everything was clear, there for leagally and for everyones safety should not have moved! The point is what would have happened if she couldnt get her arm free or if it was a child or elderley person or worse still one of the residents.

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Confused.com!!, London says...
1:46pm Wed 23 Jul 08

Sue, i can imagine that your mum's arm is badly bruised i was never doubting that she caught her arm, what i meant was, as the real me says above, the trains will not move whilst the doors are open, drivers cannot override this system so i think there may be a slight exageration in this story.
I hope your mums arm heals soon, im not trying to be nasty here

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James, Dartford says...
1:47pm Wed 23 Jul 08

As others have said, the doors simply cannot close with something jamming then and this immobilises the train. The story must have been embelished somewhat for one reason or another.

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Susie, Bexley says...
2:58pm Wed 23 Jul 08

Sue I don't beleieve you actually reading what people are saying just the parts you want to, THE TRAIN DRIVER CAN NOT MOVE THE TRAIN UNLESS THE DOORS ARE CLOSED COMPLETELY!! Also whether anyone was on the station would not have made a blind bit of difference!!

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Tyra, Chislehurst says...
2:59pm Wed 23 Jul 08

I also beleive this story is being made a bit of a steak and kidney pie of!!! yes we all feel sorry for your old dear Sue but you really dont need to dramatise it any further. Lets hope her arm gets better and she regains her memory to reveal the truth of what really happened.

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Amm, says...
3:06pm Wed 23 Jul 08

Maybe the wind blew the train forward, it has been quite windy lately :D lol

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George, Bus Driver says...
3:24pm Wed 23 Jul 08

Rear doors on buses are fitted with a similar device to prevent the bus from moving if the doors are not closed. However this system is not fool proof and has to be checked daily before the bus is put into service. I cant imagine a train driver has to check every door both sides on every carriage so maybe there was a fault, after all its only a sensor so maybe we should give her the benefit of the doubt.

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Tyra, Chislehurst says...
3:29pm Wed 23 Jul 08

No lets not George
people should not get away with telling blatent lies!!! ever heard of the little boy who cried wolf???

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Susie, says...
3:31pm Wed 23 Jul 08

Usually if there is a tiny fault on a train or a bus they take it out of service straight away to get all the way to paddock wood the driver would have noticed it instantly!!

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Upper Class, the real world says...
3:36pm Wed 23 Jul 08

Calm down everyone. This woman is a carer for people with learning disabilities, not some chavvy benefit scrounging low life that will do anything to get a few extra quid to buy an extra packet of benson and hedges. Natural explanation would seem to be she was shocked by the whole experience and yes maybe a bit confused as to exactly what happened. Think some people here been getting a little too much sun today.

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Sue, Orpington says...
4:16pm Wed 23 Jul 08

People may think what they like fact is none of us were there and the cctv will show it all anyway, and my mother is not a liaroh and by the way it was going to orpington not padock wood.

If someone can provide solid proof that its not possible for a train to move - not completeley drive of by to start to move off when something is blocking the door please go ahead - until then you will just have to wait and see the CCTV footage! but i would appriciate it if people would stop commenting and saying that my mother is a liar when you dont know her from adam and eve, the fact is if it is sensored and there was a fault they would only notice this once something has happened they couldnt put it out of service until its been noticed.

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Confused.com!, London says...
4:36pm Wed 23 Jul 08

Sue, im sorry if you took my comments to heart, i didnt mean to come accross as calling your mum a liar, its just that i see people/bags etc get stuck in the doors all the time and they normally re-open.
Im sticking my ground when i say a train will not move if the doors are open though! Sometimes they can jolt forward or backwards and maybe this is what has happened.Hope your mum makes a speedy recovery and sorry once again sounding rude

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Jojo, London says...
6:02pm Wed 23 Jul 08

Given the numbers of carers (2) and cared-for (3) it strikes me that a proper "procedure" for getting off the train was not in place. If I'm with people getting on or off who need help I make sure that the doors are blocked from starting to close, usually with my body.

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Lets not Sue, high says...
7:35pm Wed 23 Jul 08

Sue wrote:
People may think what they like fact is none of us were there and the cctv will show it all anyway, and my mother is not a liaroh and by the way it was going to orpington not padock wood. If someone can provide solid proof that its not possible for a train to move - not completeley drive of by to start to move off when something is blocking the door please go ahead - until then you will just have to wait and see the CCTV footage! but i would appriciate it if people would stop commenting and saying that my mother is a liar when you dont know her from adam and eve, the fact is if it is sensored and there was a fault they would only notice this once something has happened they couldnt put it out of service until its been noticed.

Well I don't Adam 'n' Eve it!

What probably happened in a matter of seconds must have seemed minutes to Mrs Roberts, but I reckon those doors are reasonably 'armless. If the train HAD started to move I don't think she would be taking little steps to keep up either! Reckon the reporters, David and Charlotte glossed this one up a bit!

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GOD, UP ERE says...
2:41am Thu 24 Jul 08

Leave it to me to explain. It is not a sensor it is an electrical circuit that must be joined (eg the doors shut) to enable the train to move. Some residual current may be in the circuit allowing the train to move a very short distance before the power is used up. There is also an indicator in the drivers cab that SHOULD show that a door is not closed properly, however, if any of these were faulty then the train may have moved slightly. So the Lady is probably correct and you are all wrong. I LOVE BEING A GENIUS. Me Bless

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tyra, chislehurst says...
10:59am Thu 24 Jul 08

Hilarious The Real Me!!!!!
some people will do anything for attention!!!

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He knows what he's on about, Alles uber der platz says...
11:25am Thu 24 Jul 08

GOD wrote:
Leave it to me to explain. It is not a sensor it is an electrical circuit that must be joined (eg the doors shut) to enable the train to move. Some residual current may be in the circuit allowing the train to move a very short distance before the power is used up. There is also an indicator in the drivers cab that SHOULD show that a door is not closed properly, however, if any of these were faulty then the train may have moved slightly. So the Lady is probably correct and you are all wrong. I LOVE BEING A GENIUS. Me Bless

At last some sense. Very good description of the door mechanisms.
Only to add that I expect that everyone has seen coaches/carriages out of service on a working train or experienced the odd doors not working in a useable coach, well these are due to faults and on very rare occasions these faults occur whilst the train is in use, which could have POSSIBLY happened in this case.
I thangyew.
Now do leave that nice Mrs Roberts alone.

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opi, says...
12:27pm Thu 24 Jul 08

He knows what he's on about wrote:

GOD wrote: Leave it to me to explain. It is not a sensor it is an electrical circuit that must be joined (eg the doors shut) to enable the train to move. Some residual current may be in the circuit allowing the train to move a very short distance before the power is used up. There is also an indicator in the drivers cab that SHOULD show that a door is not closed properly, however, if any of these were faulty then the train may have moved slightly. So the Lady is probably correct and you are all wrong. I LOVE BEING A GENIUS. Me Bless
At last some sense. Very good description of the door mechanisms. Only to add that I expect that everyone has seen coaches/carriages out of service on a working train or experienced the odd doors not working in a useable coach, well these are due to faults and on very rare occasions these faults occur whilst the train is in use, which could have POSSIBLY happened in this case. I thangyew. Now do leave that nice Mrs Roberts alone.

train spotting's quite involved these days eh

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The Real Me, Here says...
12:58pm Thu 24 Jul 08

tyra wrote:
Hilarious The Real Me!!!!! some people will do anything for attention!!!

ha ha ha!

The truth will always out in the end Tyra!

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The Voice, Mother Earth says...
3:47pm Thu 24 Jul 08

My heart goes out to this brave lady, she has shown courage and dignity in facing up to what must have been a terrifying ordeal. I can only imagine the shock and fear she must have felt when running along side the train has it sped down the platform, her arm trapped, struggling to free herself, she is a heroine.

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Can Crusher, London says...
3:52pm Thu 24 Jul 08

How much is your cut going to be "The Voice, Mother Earth"?

I'm just intrigued or are you the fool that held on to her?

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Ant, Orpington says...
4:34pm Thu 24 Jul 08

I think Geraldine is telling the truth.

Trains can move up to high speeds with people's arms trapped in the door, ive seen it on films before ;-)

Do you think we could all get to view the CCTV footage when it is available? Maybe it could be a you tube posting.

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Can Crusher, London says...
4:49pm Thu 24 Jul 08

yes, it would be a good laugh!

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A victim's daughter, says...
7:21pm Thu 24 Jul 08

I think you are all so mean! This lady, and yes she is a lady is the salt of the earth. Carers are unsung heroes. They have to deal with all sorts of gross things that you would probably heave at the thought! I say she is a hero.

My mother also had a major trauma as a result of a moving train. My baby brother was left behind on the train because the doors shut and the train moved off. He has never recovered! Neither has my mother. She could have lost her arm! She almost lost her son. Good job she could run fast!

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Cuddles, The playground says...
11:04am Fri 25 Jul 08

I really think this has been blown out of proportion. I too am a carer and the almost exact same thing happened to me. The only difference is that while I was trying to free my arm from the door the people I was looking after began to throw their own faeces at me. Just imagine the above scenario but with a face covered in human excrement - takes it up a level doesn't it? I didn't handle it by writing in to a paper, no, I wiped my face on my sleeve and we all went for ice cream, job done.

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Sad, Work says...
2:48pm Fri 25 Jul 08

Cuddles,

Thank you for your moving story, in fact something very similar happened to me also: I was eating an ice crean the other year when my flake fell to the ground.

We have all been touched by various tragedies in our life like Geraldine's, yours and the the one i have just shared......however mine like your cuddles is a true story, unlike others on this page

God bless all who has posted, you have made my Friday

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BORED, work says...
4:51pm Fri 25 Jul 08

I read this yesterday and was thinking about this when I got home. How did this woman not know the doors were going to shut, they make a awful beeping sound for a good few minutes before they do? sorry not trying to stir here but I get the train everyday to work and you know when it beeps that the doors are shutting, and they do shut on you but they reopen.

Rant over, now time to get out of here!

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Bill, Bromley says...
8:44pm Fri 25 Jul 08

I'm sorry but I can only say that this is self inflicted especially after she has admitted she put her arm in the door AFTER the door alarm had started.
There may well have been an issue with the sensitive edge on the train doors and we probably will never know.
Also if she had time to put her arm in the door when she heard the door alarm start why didn't she press the emergency/communicat

ion button which is conveniently situated by the doors funnily enough.

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Lucy, The Sun says...
8:28pm Sat 26 Jul 08

lmao! I think there was a misprint. It was one of the carer's dependants that placed her arm in the door when the alarm went off just because it was something to do I guess.

I truly sympathise with you, sad, the same thing happened to me and what's more the whole scoop of ice-cream toppled off the cone and onto my b...s lol. I WAS VERY SHOCKED, especially because it was so icy cold!

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GOD, UP ERE says...
11:11pm Sat 26 Jul 08

Lucy wrote:
lmao! I think there was a misprint. It was one of the carer's dependants that placed her arm in the door when the alarm went off just because it was something to do I guess. I truly sympathise with you, sad, the same thing happened to me and what's more the whole scoop of ice-cream toppled off the cone and onto my b...s lol. I WAS VERY SHOCKED, especially because it was so icy cold!

I too have dropped ice cream, so imagine my surprise when reading these anecdotes that I am not alone in my misfortune. I feel so much better knowing I am not the only one. Thank you

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SouthEasternTrains' Relative, ENGLAND says...
1:23am Sat 2 Aug 08

Sorry I'm on South Eastern's side on this one...the doors open again if anything is obstructing them. So I don't believe the lady would have moved with the train atall. Sure it would hurt if the doors shut up on your arm...but I think there's some stretching of the truth going on here?

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Mind That gap, says...
3:45pm Thu 7 Aug 08

Can we have a discussion about why we have huge gaps between trains and platforms

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