Network Rail CCTV: Embarrassing accidents in railway stations

In a CCTV video from Network Rail, which is urging travelers to take care at railway stations over Christmas, one woman is seen at London Euston performing what has been dubbed “the reverse plank”.

More than 3,000 people were involved in slips, trips or falls in Britain’s railway stations in 12 months, with incidents involving luggage rising by 70% in seven years, Network Rail figures said.

Network Rail released the video as it urged people to take care when travelling by rail over Christmas – especially women wearing high heels and people running for trains with luggage.

In “the reverse plank”, the woman at Euston station is seen in April being carried up an escalator when her heel gets caught – as she falls backwards onto the escalator and is dragged all the way to the top.

Another clip in the video, filmed at Leeds station in West Yorkshire and named “the mad dash and crash”, sees and a woman fall head-first into the platform as she is running to catch her train.

The third video, also filmed at Leeds and called “the pole dance crunch”, features two women in party dresses twirl around a pole before falling face first and sprawling onto the platform.

STATION SLIPS, TRIPS AND FALLS

Recorded slips, trips and falls at Britain’s railway stations from April 2011 to March 2012 from Rail Safety and Standards Board

• Total: 3,118
• On escalators: 512
• On stairs: 1,120
• On the concourse: 1,488
• On a platform: 899
• Involved people running: 425
• Person intoxicated: 437
• Major/Minor: 19 major injuries (only 5 involving intoxication) and 1 fatality (person who fell on an escalator at London Bridge station)
• Time: 1,158 incidents were recorded between 5:00 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. (37%)
• Day: Incident peak on Fridays: 569 (18%)
• Luggage: 614 reported injuries involved luggage. This is up from 362 in 2004/05