UK - Girl 'crushed unconscious' on overcrowded train

[John Ashworth]

Girl, 7, 'crushed unconscious' on overcrowded train run by Britain's worst rail company

By RAY MASSEY - Last updated at 19:26pm on 25th January 2008
Daily Mail

A seven-year-old girl was "crushed unconscious" on an overcrowded commuter train run by Britain's worst rail company.

Laura Booth, who stands just 3ft tall, began vomiting and passed out in a standing position because she was so tightly wedged between other commuters.

There was no space for her to lie down so her grandfather Mike Pearce, 54, had to hold her limp body upright for ten minutes until the next station.

The service was operated by First Great Western, which has been under fire for big fare rises, overcrowding and slashing services. It faces a fare strike by protesting passengers on Monday.

Her grandfather estimated that more than 400 people were waiting to board the 5.07pm service from Bath, Somerset - but just TWO carriages turned up.

Many passengers were unable to get on board and those who did were "crammed in like cattle".

Carpenter Mr Booth said: "I was terrified. Words can't describe the conditions. Everyone was shoulder to shoulder and pressed up against the windows. You couldn't even turn around.

"I used all my force to try to give Laura some space, but the heat in the carriage was immense and she was crushed up by people's legs."

He added: "As she passed out, I remember thinking, 'Oh my god, I'm losing my granddaughter'.

"She was a dead weight and her body had gone completely limp. First Great Western should never have allowed this to happen. They put profit before people, and one day it will cost someone's life."

Mr Booth had taken his granddaughter Laura, her sister Rachael, 10, and his son Paul, 29, on a trip to see pantomime Aladdin at the Theatre Royal in Bath on December 22.

But when they arrived at Bath Spa to catch the train home to Trowbridge, they were met by a sea of bodies stretching five deep along the entire length of the platform.

Laura and her grandfather managed to get on to the Bristol to Weymouth service but found themselves crammed into a corner. Five minutes into the journey, she complained of feeling dizzy before vomiting and collapsing.

A nurse on the train and other passengers tried to help but the guard was unable to reach them through the crowds.

Mr Booth had to hold lifeless Laura in his arms until the train reached its next stop at Bradford-on-Avon, where she quickly regained consciousness in the fresh air.

His son Paul stayed on board and picked up his car before coming back to rescue the group.

Mr Booth said the incident on the last Saturday before Christmas happened when trains were also full of sports fans: "First Great Western knew it was going to be busy. Putting only two carriages on smacks of incompetence.

"When we finally got her off, the guard came and said to me even he had never seen anything like it.

"He said he was ashamed by what happened and the conditions were disgusting. He told me to complain about it, and that's from their own employee.

"Lives are being put in danger as we're being treated like cattle."

Although Laura did not require any medical treatment, her family say she has been left deeply traumatised by the incident and still has flashbacks.

Her mother Tracey, 31, a teaching assistant, and dad Colin, 31, both from Trowbridge, condemned the train operator's attitude.

Tracey said: "The only compensation they have offered is a free day out on the trains. It's like some kind of a sick joke.

"She's still terrified by what happened and wakes up crying in the night. She'll never set foot on a train again."

First Great Western spokesman Lance Cole apologised for the incident and said a full investigation had been launched: "We are sorry that young Laura had this distressing experience. It must have been very upsetting for her and her family.

"This is being investigated personally by the chief operating officer Andrew Haines."

The company said of its proposed compensation of an outing on their trains: "We hope it will restore her faith in us and rail travel as a whole."

The firm has also faced protests from passengers over poor punctuality, reliability and overcrowding.

It faces a second "fare strike" protest on Monday. Only 83 per cent of its trains run on time compared with a national average of 90.8 per cent.

A report by rail watchdog Passenger Focus showed FGW had the lowest approval rating of any operator in the country, with just 74 per cent of passengers satisfied with its performance.

It increased its unregulated fares by an inflation-busting 6.1 per cent in the New Year with some individual routes rising by as much as 11 per cent.

This week, First Great Western said its customers would receive twice the normal amount of compensation when their trains are cancelled or delayed.