June 29,(Mid-day): Mira Road resident Mohammad Farid Mansoor sustained minor injuries in Sunday’s mishap at Churchgate; he has been involved in train accidents in 2011 and 2012

For 30-year-old Mira Road resident Mohammad Farid Mansoor, who was travelling in the train that rammed into the dead-end of platform no 3 at Churchgate station on Sunday, train travel has been full of traumatic experiences.

Mansoor has been involved in major local train accidents in 2011 and 2012, and has suffered severe injuries, including fractures and bruises, in the past. Mansoor said that the Sunday incident took place when he was on his way to his shop, located in Colaba market.

Travelling in the last compartment in the southbound local, Mansoor tried to alight when a jerk threw him off balance. “The shock was so sudden and severe that I couldn’t even hold the bar or any handle.

I fell inside the compartment and started feeling nauseous. When I regained my senses, I stepped out on the platform and sat on the bench, still trying to figure out the incident,” said Mansoor.

He caught a taxi himself and reached GT Hospital for treatment since neither the railway officials nor the GRP authorities came to check on the victims. The treating doctor at GT Hospital said that Mansoor had survived the major incident with minimal injuries.

Two too many

Mansoor said that it was the luckiest of his survivals, as he has sustained severe injuries in one of the past incidents. In 2011, Mansoor survived after being thrown off a train in the middle of Dahisar and Mira Road stations. Mansoor fell off the train due to the crowd. “I had taken the 8.15 am train and was shocked to find it overflowing with people.

I still took the risk and tried to get in, but I couldn’t hold on, and the crowd pushed me off the train,” said Mansoor. At that time, he was rushed to a civil hospital in Mira Road, since he had fractured his left hand; he also received two stitches on his head. He was also involved in the freak head-on train collision at Andheri station in June 2012.

“I was on my way home when the Andheri accident took place. Since the train was crowded and I was not standing at the door, I didn’t suffer any major injuries at all. But the incident itself was shocking enough to leave a mark,” said Mansoor. Mansoor said that his family is now worried every time he steps out for work and takes a train, due to the repeated incidents.

Another escape

Anita Jalpur (45) was another victim of the accident, but she escaped with minimal injuries. The overhead wire allegedly hit Jalpur when it snapped and fell on her while she was standing at the door. “I was in the middle ladies’ coach and the overhead wire snapped and fell on the coach, injuring me.

All I could see was black smoke and people running for help. I was on my way to my workplace at CR2 Mall near Nariman Point for which I had boarded the train from Dadar,” said Jalpur. She was rushed to GT Hospital and discharged after the doctors announced her fit to leave.