Train Incidents in West Auckland - Heroes, TVNZ

[@PaulSmith-eb2eg]

Had an 11yr old fatal, same line, 1975. RIP, Wayne Russell Green. Still haunts me. No victim support in those days.

[@QUIX4U]

I too was on the NZR in the 70's, and actually there was a LOT of "victim" support (for the parents) it was the problem of NOT having any 1st eye witness "support" for railway staff who were (mostly) the first responders for uwards of half an hour in some rural situations, as well as later when track gangs "had" to work through the accident site, lifting, lining, replacing sleepers etc., to be "finding" body parts still imbeded down in the track ballast, sometimes uo to several moths afterwards. It was extremely difficult for "us" who had no one to confide in, or get help from, as it was considered taboo, to even talk about "what happened there", even though the "stain" one could say, was left to infect our minds, with the memories, very vivid at times, of what WE SAW and dealt with, both at the time, and later doing "on-site track maintenance". Victm support back then extended ONLY to helping the families of the (fatal) accidents themselves, and none to those who were first witnesses, on the scene when it happened. I was in the rear drivers compatment of a vulcan railcar, (that slid 1/4 mile on the track with brakes locked, and Klaxon HORN blaring loudly the whole time, but still ended up nearly at the unmanned station - that it was NOT supposed to stop at) which collided with an old consule motor car driven by a young woman (with her friend as a front seat passenger) who was "seen" by the driver, shielding her eyes against the setting sun whilst talking to her companion, such that he believed she never even saw the railcar, on the curve to her right - even at the moment of impact when her car struck the LH front corner of the railcar - with her still speeding car that impacted on the front RH corner of her car, when she hit the slowing railcar. I felt wondered why the horn was blaring, assuming it was sheep or other wandering farm stock, until as we crossed the road itself, there was an almighty thump that shuddered the whole railcar, at which time I realized it was BAD, very bad, thus when the railcar lurched sideways moments later, and then again as the spinning car came into my view, I was already getting set to jump out and run back (the car hit the front and middle and rear end of the railcar, as it literally "spun on the spot" coming to rest as if it had "stopped" just short of the crossing?) As a railway employee, any travel we did on any train or railcar, meant we were "the" first responders, along with the guard, and later the driver, (after he had secured the railcar, and instructed the passengers to remain seated). Hence as a fit 17 yr old, I got to the scene, several minutes before the eldrely guard and a long time before the driver, who arrived about the same time as local residents, who had heard the blaring horn and later the sounds of carnage. At 17 (even though as a farmer's lad, seeing many a dead animal, or other animals hit by trains, or just dead & dying on the farm) seeing the mess on-scene, along with the feet sticking out from under the dashboard, and hearing muffled whimpering up in there, it is STILL a vivid recollection even now, and I am over 70 years old now. Yet the sight and struggle we had, trying to extricate the passenger from up round the windscreen wiper and other mechanical parts under the dashboard, it made me very aware of how great the force was, that "shoved" a human body that far in, even though she had been wearing a seat belt at the time, it was torn out of it's mountings, and still attached around her crumpled body. We found the driver, still strapped into her seat (as the seat belts were bolted to that - instead of to the floor and b-pillar) - when we found her seat upside down "outside the car" in the ditch beside the small "railway crossing sign",beside the place where she SHOULD have stopped, and not where the car eventually spun to a stop (same place, but a totally different outcome). I haunts me, even now - but at least I never had to "work the track" at that point, as the gang I worked for had a different section further away - same branchline, just not there. I know I never received a single second of "emotional support", and maybe it would never have helped anyways. The driver and guard had seen many similar "accidents" of peole simply ignoring the Klaxon horns and road crossing signs, or even flashing lights and barriers. The crossing where the young girls met their fatful end, was just a rural branchline and a countr road, so it was "only" protected by static sign posts, no bells or barriers, although honestly, against the setting sun and talking too much, I doubt if it would have registered - so no, no-one ever came to see me, to offer any form of "victim support". After all, I wasn't the victim (that was the mentality of the situations, many railway workers found themselves in) Back then, If you weren't family (or the person who was struck), or even the driver of the train/railcar, there was no support for you.

[@PaulSmith-eb2eg]

@@QUIX4U The most difficult, on the day, was the return on the opposite main line, some hours later. A deceased Human does NOT smell like a dead sheep. The Police had visited with bags, etc, but some things take longer to dissapate as well you would know. At the inquest, My Mate and I were made to feel like the instigators of the tragedy......I was hit hard when the item was on TV news, the 1st night of Wayne's death.

[@paulboger3101]

Aussie driver here, I've had 2. One in Nov 2012, the other in August this year. They still haunt me, there was nothing I could do.

[@Moamanly]

Wish you all the best mate. Get help if you think you need it.

[@PaulSmith-eb2eg]

With you all the way. Never goes away, and odd things trigger the recall. This Post has become one of them...

[@Aotearoa_Kiwi]

Thanks for posting.

[@josnagels8038]

Those are the type of fellows who should be a NZ Minister of Transport, rather than our 2024 highway pothole numptie (who has time to, but is totally unlikely to redeem himself). NZ needs more trains for everyone’s benefit and a better future. Thumbs up to the railway people!

[@CaptainKuki]

🤙🏾

[@Adam-pl6vq]

Thank you bro, makes the hard hours worth while reading things like this.

[@scootergrant8683]

Unfortunately, in the case of lands outside of the North Island, it's rather hard to justify.

[@joshuahill6153]

Without trains or buses I wouldn't of been able to access good high school education, consider going to a better university or even consider some job opportunities.

[@stinchjack]

I was at the Henderson shopping centre many times with my family as a teenager. This is pretty much as I remember things.

[@kiwisunshine9631]

I wonder what happened to the lady who run towards the oncoming train. I hope she's ok and got the help she needed.

my friend Daniel Hand jumped under a train couple of years ago, due to poor mental health, by the Tegal factory in Henderson, RIP Dan will never forget you.

[@brotakig1531]

That and suicide by Police are just horrible, putting someone through that.

[@davidlipscombe916]

There was an incident on the Western Line between Swanson and Ranui at Midday 21/10/24 , but this time involving Dogs and what I heard 1 possibly 2 were Killed and the AM unit arrived in Ranui very slowly and Driver changed places at Henderson '

[@azbgames6827]

wow the platforrms were low back then

[@AotearoaRail]

@@azbgames6827 Yes! They were made bigger around 1995, to accommodate the DMUs which had been imported from Australia.

[@nooneisrightallthetime-zv7hs]

I used to walk those same tracks to school in the 80s , 90s . We were stupid

[@jacqueopaolo5707]

Had a Suicide as a Driver in Brisbane 20 years ago Wilston Station.C.E.O.of Energex.Labor/Beattie.17/9/2004.

[@gaius_enceladus]

What the heck were the PARENTS of those young boys doing? *Unforgivable*, letting them just roam around like that.

[@milkydildos]

it was the 90's no fences and the houses through gleneden to sunny vale are pretty close to the tracks

[@robertgift]

Boys wilbe boys and get out unnoticed. Driving an emergencyehicle returning to quarters, I found a little boy in diapers in the grass-covered center median of a four-lane arterial street in a residential area. 40 mph speed limit. The mother had just discovered the front door unlocked. Looking terrified she came running and took her sohome.

[@jacqueopaolo5707]

Looks like a 1720 class loco ex QR.(Queensland Rail)

[@NZRT5068]

GL22MC

[@nickrin5615]

What year was this filmed?

[@AotearoaRail]

@@nickrin5615 Around 1991.

[@radicallyrethinkingrailwaysina]

why filmed with light engine

[@AotearoaRail]

@@radicallyrethinkingrailwaysina I’m not sure, but back when this was filmed there were still shunts taking place to and from sites along the line, so the loco shown could conceivably be returning from dropping off wagons.

[@6yjjk]

Maybe because they wanted to be sure the thing would actually stop and not take out the stuntwoman for real.

[@jacqueopaolo5707]

Many drivers have multiple suicides and near misses.Very little support from Rail Companies and management.P.T.S.D. is REAL.

[@KingDongLe3rd]

Work with Bill Sweeney on the NAL now, hes a top man.

[@JulianFriedlander-h2w]

pat duff bill sweeney great guys top west feld drivers.!. back in the days .. gone now retierd

[@KingDongLe3rd]

@JulianFriedlander-h2w Bill Sweeney's still around, drives the NAL between Whangarei and Helensville

[@JulianFriedlander-h2w]

OOOO CHEERS OK HAVE NOT SEEN HIM BILL IN LONG TIME THANKS THORT HAD RETIRD. MATE. PAT DUFF GONE BUT. 😃😃

[@robertgift]

What happened to the young woman? Committed suicide by another means? Drunk? Drugs? US railroads do not want suicides in the news because it gives others contemplating suicide the idea to use railroads. (Track gauge there?)

[@AotearoaRail]

@@robertgift 3 ft 6 inch

[@jordanl3396]

The graffiti, and walking on tracks