James's blog

So I was just reminiscing with Kayla about when we each did our driving theory tests. I recalled I passed my theory test twice (2 year validity expired in between), then failed it twice – both in December 2014, and then passed for the last time in August 2016.

During the December when I arrived at the railway station local to the test centre, I started chatting to a colleague (“C”) who had started on the railway at the same time as I had when a passenger came up the stairs and told C that someone had collapsed. The passenger and C both helped the collapsed male to the bench in the booking hall and then appeared to dismiss the male as being drunk. I soon had a feeling that this wasn’t the case, when the male’s phone started ringing – he took it out of his pocket but his hands were trembling and he lost his grip so it fell straight to the floor and the battery fell out. I asked him if he had been drinking despite not being able to smell any alcohol on him. He said no, so I asked him if he has any medical issues and he replied saying he has diabetes. Two of my grandparents had diabetes so I kind-of understood what was going on, and recognised another symptom – he was slurring slightly. I figured it out just as he started to slump on the bench and slipped off onto the floor. Members of public in the booking hall noticed and started to gather round. One of which called an ambulance. The ambulance arrived fairly quickly and I informed the paramedic straight away that the male is diabetic so that they could get straight to checking his sugar levels and treating him with sugars. By this time the male was practically laying down wanting to go to sleep but we managed to keep him talking. When I felt the time was right, I made my apologies and left to walk down to the theory test centre. I never received any recognition for my involvement in this incident despite the fact my attention to him potentially saved his life as he had been otherwise dismissed.

That then got me thinking about a more recent incident, late last year when at the station we started getting frequent visits from a young male in his late teens (who I will refer to as “T”). We initially had a visit from staff at a care home where T lived, stating that T was autistic, depressed and suicidal. He had left the care home and was making his way to the station intending on ending his life. He was stopped from doing so, and was taken in an ambulance under section 2 of the mental health act (giving police the power to restrain anyone that may cause harm to themselves or others). The following week T returned again whilst I was at work with another colleague “G” who knew about T. T came straight up to the ticket barriers, dived down and crawled underneath to gain access to the “paid” side, stating he was going to end his life. I immediately told G to call 999. Another passenger saw and heard what was going on and tried to stop T from getting down the stairs to the platform, as due to T’s build he had overpowered my attempt at blocking him from getting past the gateline. G called the British Transport Police, and I followed T down to the platform. T immediately sat down on the platform with his legs dangling over the edge, and was trying to lower himself down. Both myself and the other passenger managed to stop him from lowering himself down and pulled him back up. I called to one of the platform staff (“A”) on the opposite platform to get him to contact the signaller to caution the drivers (so trains would enter the station slowly). The other passenger had to catch a train but the platform staff member (“S”) on the platform I was on had noticed and was helping to stop T from getting onto the tracks. We spent probably over half an hour chasing T up and down the platform. When I eventually got him to sit on the bench and relax a bit I started properly talking to T. He admitted to me that he had lied to the staff in the hospital saying he felt better, in order to be released but now realises that was a mistake as he still needed help hence why he was there at the station. I listened to him, tried to understand what he was going through, etc. and reassure him that the emergency services will do whatever they can to help him. When the police arrived they decided that due to his constant attempts and his admission of lying to the hospital they decided to arrest him for wasting police time, etc.

I never received any form of recognition for my actions then either. However, in 2018 I was invited to the annual Extra Mile Gold Awards ceremony in London, where the overall winner – a member of platform staff from Woolwich was awarded the Gold for his actions when dealing with a suicidal passenger.