A rail accident last week at a train station in Brisbane has resulted in minor injuries for several passengers and close-calls for others on the platform at the time of the incident.
The crash occurred at Cleveland station just after 9.40am on Thursday (January 31) when a passenger train failed to stop and ran into a station toilet block.
There were 13 passengers in the train’s six carriages and five people in the vicinity of the impact, including one lady who was inside the ladies bathroom.
The latter was trapped in the bathroom after the crash, and had to be rescued by others who heard her cries and wrenched the door open to free her.
Redlands Hospital director of medical services Dr Rosalind Crawford told the Brisbane Times that ten people had been treated for minor injuries such as cuts, bruises, back and shoulder pain.
Acting station officer at Cleveland fire station Rob Hawxwell was one of the first to the scene and told the Brisbane Times that the crash had caused “carnage and damage”.
“The passengers were very lucky,” said Mr Hawxwell.
The cause of the crash is not yet known, and acting Queensland Rail chief executive officer Jim Benstead told the Brisbane Times on Friday (February 1) that it was too early to speculate.
Mr Benstead said that the investigation into the incident would be far reaching and would take into consideration everything of importance.
This includes communications between the train driver and QR’s train control centre and statements from witnesses to the event.
He expressed confidence in QR’s commuter trains and sought to dispel fears for the safety of its rolling stock.
“I want to assure everybody that we have a regular maintenance of our rolling stock, regular maintenance of our trains and that every morning we do a pre inspection check before our trains leave the depot,” Mr Benstead said.
At the request of the Queensland government, the Australian Transport Safety Board (ATSB) has initiated an investigation into the accident, and an ATSB team spent Friday afternoon inspecting the site.
A preliminary report is expected in around a month’s time.
Those injured in public transport accidents on buses or light rail in New South Wales are entitled to make a claim for personal injury compensation.
It is important to seek expert legal advice and compensation lawyers in Sydney can instruct you on how best to make your claim, as time is of the essence and there are certain procedures – such as a police report – which must be followed.
