Youth crossing tracks run over near Andheri

MUMBAI: An unidentified person, crossing the railway tracks near Andheri, died on Monday evening despite the heroic efforts of a Good Samaritan to save him.
The youth, who had been hit once by an Andheri-bound train, was saved from being run over a second time by the same train (on its return journey) by Bhavesh Patel, president of Manavta, an NGO working for train accident victims.
The victim survived till he reached Cooper Hospital but, despite medical efforts, succumbed to his injuries around 8 pm. Both his legs and some fingers of his right hand were severed in the accident.
The mishap occurred a little after 6 pm when the victim was crossing the tracks near Andheri; the Andheri-bound train hit him but, with the motorman not realising what had happened, stopped only after he had reached the station.
The victim lay on the tracks and the same train started on its return journey towards Churchgate at 6.21 pm. But someone from another train called up Patel and told him about the injured man. Other passengers alleged that this information had reached the motorman as well but he insisted on leaving for Churchgate. "I had to jump on the tracks in front of the train to stop the motorman from running over the victim-still alive-a second time. The motorman said he was `running late' and told me to help the man myself,'' Patel said.
That was what Patel and a few others did. They lifted the man off the tracks and waited for help to arrive. "But rescue operations were delayed despite Andheri being such a busy station and having ambulance facilities. The motorman did not even tell the station manager nor did he wait till the man was lifted off the tracks,'' Patel said.
Senior GRP inspector N H Shaikh said the motorman should have been more helpful. But WR officials insisted that the motorman was not so insensitive as alleged. "Our motormen always inform somebody about accidents,'' divisional railway manager C P Sharma said.