Passengers ‘feared for lives’ in train crash
THE driver of a passenger train that crashed in Sydney yesterday was “absolutely stunned” and was seen afterwards wandering around looking dazed.
Sixteen people were injured in the morning crash when the train hit a buffer at the end of the line at Richmond station.
Passengers had feared they were about to die when the impact came without warning.
Afterwards the driver was told to queue with passengers who needed treatment for minor injuries at a makeshift triage point, an emergency services source said.
“He was absolutely stunned and a bit dazed and didn’t know where to go for treatment,” the source said.
He and another rail worker were among 11 people treated by paramedics at a nearby oval.
Five people were treated on the train. Their injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Fifteen patients were taken to hospital, said NSW Ambulance incident commander, Superintendent Paul Turner.
“These people are very lucky,” he said. “It was chaos. Things could’ve been much, much worse.”
Witnesses have described a scene of chaos, with the train hitting the buffer after slowing down at the end of the line.
Passenger Jaiden Ruttley said he briefly thought he was going to die because he didn’t know what was happening.
“All of a sudden I went flying off my seat,” he said. “I thought ‘am I going to die?’ ”