People Power Frees Man Trapped by Train

Now here¡¯s a story that is heart warming and informative. It will show you the real meaning of people power and teach you to ¡®mind the gap¡¯. Yes, that same ¡®mind the gap¡¯ instruction that we gloriously tend to ignore while boarding our metros and locals (The lady announcer keeps repeating it ad nauseam, you cannot miss it)

Image Courtesy: Twitter @nicolastaylornz
So what really happened? A man, identified as Nic, was boarding at Stirling Station in the Western Australia city of Perth when he slipped awkwardly and his leg became jammed in the five-centimetre (0.4-inch) gap between the carriage and the station.
The station authorities were informed straight away and then started the efforts to free the man and his poor leg. Initially, Passengers were told to move to the opposite side of the train in the hope their weight would shift it away from his leg.
But when that failed, staff told commuters to get off the train and about 50 of them lined up in a row along the platform to tilt the carriage away from the man so he could be lifted out. After 2 rounds of ¡°One two three push¡±, the man was finally able to pull his leg out.

But the best part about this incident is the show of solidarity from his fellow commuters. Like good Samaritans, they not only listened to the station staff¡¯s instructions, but pitched in and helped. No doubt many of them would have been in a rush, but the sense collective responsibility didn¡¯t escape them, it seems.

Image: ?ABC News / Via Youtube.com
"It is the first time we've seen something like this happen," Transperth spokeswoman Claire Krol told AFP. "This is a real case of passengers of working together... and people power are the perfect words to describe it. The end result here is: really lucky for the man involved, but really nice as well to see that everyone came together as a community,"
As for the man, he was lifted to safety by two passengers once his leg was freed. In shock from the incident, but not in pain, he was treated by paramedics shortly thereafter and was even able to catch a later train.
Speaking to Sydney Morning Herald, he said the incident made him rethink the warning "mind the gap"."It's not something you sort of think about or really take seriously. I always thought it was a bit of a joke but now, yeah, you kind of do."
So, it is a lesson learnt. Do not ignore this sign. And do help out wholeheartedly whenever the need for People Power arises.