Heart-Stopping Moment 4-Year-Old Boy Falls Between Train and Platform Caught on Camera
In busy public places, the littlest children can easily get lost in the crowd or slip into dangerous areas. The transport ministry in Sydney, Australia, recently released a heart-stopping video to remind everyone to keep careful watch on their children in train stations.
In the security footage recorded at Sydenham Station in Sydney, a 4-year-old steps ahead of his mother while attempting to board a train.
In the span of a second, the little boy slipped into the gap between the train and the platform. The crowd continued to surge around him as passengers continued to board and exit the train.
According to 9News, those who had witnessed the accident rushed forward to rescue the boy. They told the guard to stop the train from moving forward.
In the past year, there have been almost 200 incidents involving children on our network – many occurring during the school holidays.
With the winter break upon us, this vision is a timely reminder for parents and guardians to keep an eye on their children while travelling. pic.twitter.com/edUYT6aDgm
— Trains Info (@TrainsInfo) July 2, 2019
Thankfully, rescuers were able to lift the child from the crack before the situation escalated. Despite the harrowing nature of the incident, the boy was unscathed.
Transport manager Andrew Constance was horrified by the incident, knowing that it could have had a tragic ending. He took the opportunity to remind parents and guardians to be aware of their children at all times, especially while using public transport.
“One split second lapse in concentration could see the loss of life of a child and we don’t want to see that,” Constance told 9News.
The transport ministry released the video accompanying the dire warning. Although the 4-year-old in the video escaped without injury, many others have been hurt or killed in train stations. A quick search online will reveal that this child isn’t the first to narrowly escape the same dangerous situation.
“In the past year, there have been almost 200 incidents involving children on our network — many occurring during the school holidays,” @TrainsInfo, Sydney Trains’ official Twitter account, posted.
Accidents are more common than ever today, as both parents and children are more likely to be occupied with their phones than ever before. During the summer, stations also become increasingly crowded with families traveling for vacation.
We participated in the Sydney Trains Education Program @TrainsInfo. The aim is to educate children on how to travel safely on and around trains and stations. The key messages were: ?
Stay behind the yellow line
Hold an adults hand
Mind the gap
Use the emergency help point pic.twitter.com/xF8MoRHhFs— Rosehill Public School Preschool (@RPSPreschool) July 1, 2019
“School holidays are naturally an exciting time for many families, but sadly it is also a time when the number of accidents on the network dramatically increases,” Constance said in a statement supplied to Liftable, a section of The Western Journal, by the Sydney Trains Media Team.
“Regrettably, a lot of those incidents were preventable and one child injured on the network is one too many,” he continued.
“As a parent I know how hard it can be to juggle travel with young children, but a simple thing such as holding your child’s hand when moving around stations and boarding a train can help prevent them from being seriously injured or worse.”
“The most important message I’d like to share with parents is please don’t rush around stations or platforms — we now have more trains services than ever before, so the next train is only a few minutes away.”
Sydney Chief Trains Executive Howard Collins cautioned parents to be especially vigilant when children are boarding or exiting trains.
“Injuries on gates, particularly, they shut and open pretty quickly. And they’re head height for kids which can be a risk,” Collins said.
If you are having trouble boarding public transport with your child, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Staff is often more than willing to accommodate.
Be sure to “mind the gap” and remain as safe as possible while traveling this summer!
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