Surgeons reattach arm of MRT commuter who fell onto tracks
Surgeons were able to reattach the arm of a female commuter 11 hours after it was severed when she fell onto the tracks of the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT) in Ayala Station, Makati City on Tuesday.
Transportation Undersecretary for Rail Cesar Chavez on Wednesday said Angeline Fernando’s arm was reconnected to her body, Wednesday, 3:46 a.m., as reported by attending physicians at the Makati Medical Center to Angeline’s parents, Jose and Gloria.
“The bone, the nerve and vessels are reconnected. She is under observation at least until Friday,” said Chavez.
Based on the statements of Fernando’s parents and friends, Chavez said Angeline often suffers dizziness when surrounded by a lot of people.
“Angeline would step out whenever we hear mass in a crowded church because she experiences difficulty in breathing with many people around her,” said Chavez, quoting Mrs. Fernando.
Also, Chavez cited a close friend of the victim, who said that Angeline nearly collapsed when they went to a mall in Makati. “We rushed Angeline to the hospital and found out she have low blood pressure,” the friend told Chavez.
Chavez said the MRT3 will extend financial assistance to pay for Angeline’s hospitalization. He vowed to request assistance also from other agencies.
Angeline, 24, is a resident of Pasay City, and works as a senior quality engineer in a Makati-based information technology firm. She was on her way to work when she met the freak accident.
Angeline was an SM Foundation scholar at the Asia Pacific College, where she finished Bachelor of Science in Information Technology.
The accident happened at Tuesday, about 2:30 p.m. at the northbound station of the Ayala station.
Based on closed circuit television (CCTV) camera, Fernando alighted from the MRT train and was walking on her way out. However, she lost her balance and accidentally fell, with her right arm getting caught in between couplers connecting the first and second coaches.
Due to impact, Fernando’s arm was cut off near the armpit when it hit the couplers when the train sped off.
Emergency response personnel attended to Fernando who was conscious when rushed to the hospital.
Operations of the MRT went back to normal by 4 p.m.
Meanwhile, the need for safety railings at the MRT was raised by Senator Grace Poe, chair of the Senate committee on public services, who has since been calling on the modernization of the troubled rail system and improvement of public mass transport.
“What happened was a very unfortunate incident that could have been prevented with a passenger railing safety feature,” she said in a statement Wednesday.
Besides pushing for a railing safety feature, Poe said the DOTr should zero in on the overall safety of the MRT 3, which, she said, “could impact a larger number of people in case a serious technical glitch strikes.” (With a report from Vanne P. Terrazola)