One witness told a harrowing story of how she held back a screaming mother as her stroller drove in front of a train, killing one of her twin girls and her heroic husband.
Commuters watched in horror as the pram, carrying two-year-old twins, veered onto the railway tracks at Carlton train station in Sydney’s south at about 12.25pm on Sunday.
The twins’ 40-year-old father jumped from the platform in a brave attempt to save them, but a passing train hit the platform, killing both the father and one of the twins.
Witness Lauren Langelaar told Daily Mail Australia how the surviving girl – who was hit by the train – had “barely a scratch” when she was eventually reunited with her distraught mother. The girl was discharged from hospital on Monday morning.
Mrs Langelaar was working across the road when the tragedy occurred. She ran to the platform after hearing the mother scream for help.
“I ran outside to help the mother because I could hear her screaming while I was looking at the tracks,” said Mrs. Langelaar.
‘It all happened very quickly. I was standing on the platform helping the mother who was trying to scream at her children and husband under the train.’
Ms Langelaar said a Sydney Trains employee who was on the platform called emergency services and explained they heard “just one child” crying.
The stroller, carrying two-year-old twins, rolled onto the railway tracks at Carlton train station in Sydney’s south
The twins’ father heroically jumped onto the tracks to save his daughters, but was struck by a passing train, killing him and one of the little girls
When the police arrived, they told Mrs. Langelaar to hold the mother while the officers jumped onto the tracks.
Miraculously, one of the twin girls was pulled from under the train and survived the accident ‘with barely a scratch’.
“When I let her sit down, the little girl was pulled out from under the train. She barely had a scratch, she just cried,” said Mrs. Langelaar.
She added that the mother “begged” emergency workers to hand over her daughter so she could hold her, but was initially refused when the toddler’s injuries were assessed.
‘She initially refused to allow the paramedics to examine her, they just wanted to hold her [daughter]according to Mrs. Langelaar.
‘Then she kept shouting, “Where are my husband and my other child?”‘
Ms Langelaar said paramedics continued to examine the girl as she lay in her mother’s arms as she ‘did not appear to be injured’ and only had a ‘slight bump on the back of her head’.
The surviving toddler was taken to St George’s Hospital with her mother, who was on the platform when the accident happened. The pair have since been discharged.
A woman ran to the platform after hearing the mother’s screams and had to hold her while emergency services searched for her husband and children
Shocking surveillance footage showed the family minutes before the tragic accident
Mrs Langelaar said a man tried to stop the driver to warn him of the danger, but was unsuccessful.
‘Apparently there was a man who tried to stop the train, but because the train was not allowed to stop at that station, he didn’t stand a chance,’ said Mrs Langelaar.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Paul Dunstan said the parents appeared to have taken their hands off the pram for a “very short period” as it rolled towards the tracks.
Mr Dunstan said police were investigating what caused the pram to roll, and it may have been something as simple as a ‘gust of wind’.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, who lives less than 100 metres from the station, said the father died in an “extraordinary, instinctive act of bravery”.
“He gave his own life to save his children,” he said.
Mr Minns described the incident as a “terrible, terrible tragedy” for the surviving family members and emergency services.
The Prime Minister did not rule out the possibility of new measures being introduced on the platforms to prevent similar tragedies.
“We will work with NSW Trains and the police and if changes are needed we will make them,” he said.
‘It’s too early to say, but I don’t want to close the door to any changes.
‘Train stations can be dangerous places and we should all be aware of that.’
Police have closed the station and launched an investigation into what caused the pram to roll onto the tracks
Sydney Trains CEO Matthew Longland said he would not speculate on the outcome of the police investigation but would consider any recommendations to improve safety.
“Our first priority is to support those involved and cooperate with the investigation so that we have all the relevant facts and can fully understand the incident,” Mr Longland said.
‘We will consider all recommendations that come out of the investigation. I would like to remind everyone to take extra care on platforms when travelling on the railway.
‘Stay behind the yellow line and stay well away from the edge of the platform. Train stations are very dangerous places.’
Mr Longland described the situation as ‘confronting’ and thanked emergency services for their efforts.
“It is clear that incidents like this can be quite confronting for everyone involved. I would like to thank all the emergency services for their efforts in dealing with such a difficult situation,” Mr Longland said.
One possible safety measure could be platform screen doors, which have been installed in Sydney’s new metro network (see photo)
One possible safety measure could be the platform doors installed in Sydney’s new metro network.
Each door weighs 175 kilograms and is approximately 2.5 metres high, creating a complete barrier between the platform and the rails.
“The doors provide enhanced safety by creating a barrier between the platforms and the tracks, allowing passengers to move around the platforms more efficiently,” Sydney Metro said.
The platform doors were extensively tested before they were put into use for metro traffic in early 2024.
