A man has been injured at a rail-yard in Hornsby after he was knocked down by an incoming train and dragged for several metres.
WorkCover NSW is investigating the matter and says that the incident began at around 23:30 on February 13 while the locomotive was being moved to a maintenance platform.
According to initial reports, the 56-year-old worker ran afoul of the moving train when his clothing became caught.
The vehicle then pulled the victim off his feet and proceeded to drag him for a distance of around six metres before the driver was made aware of the situation.
He applied the emergency brakes and immediately left the cabin to assist the unfortunate worker, who had sustained a number of minor injuries.
Inspector Colin Lott from the Ku-ring-gai Local Area Command told reporters on February 14 that the man had sustained friction grazes to his arm, leg and face as he was dragged along by the train.
Lott also explained that the police believed the worker’s clothing may have been trapped in one of the doors as it closed.
“From early information, around 11:20 last night one of the maintenance workers at Hornsby train sheds has become caught in the doors of one of the trains that was moving out of the sheds,” Lott asserted.
While the injuries were not life threatening, he was taken to the Royal North Shore Hospital for precautionary treatment.
In a statement issued by RailCorp – the group responsible for the upkeep of the NSW rail network as well as the “safe operation, crewing and maintenance of passenger trains and stations” – the organisation said that it was assisting the authorities in their investigations into the accident.
A spokesman for the corporation said: “Safety in the workplace is a top priority for RailCorp and it takes incidents of this nature seriously.
“We will work closely with the regulators to establish the cause of this incident.”
The spokesman also explained that the RailCorp staff members involved in the incident had all undergone mandatory drug and alcohol testing.
In cases where a staff member is injured while performing their normal duties, a compensation lawyer is able to provide them with qualified advice and years of legal experience.
A no win no fee arrangement can be used to allow victims to gain access to an accredited source of information that can let them navigate their options before deciding on a course of action.
