Woman fights for life after Wool train horror (From Thisisdorset)

Woman fights for life after Wool train horror

11:30am Thursday 9th February 2012 in Latest By Rachel Stretton

A WOMAN is fighting for her life after being hit by a train.

The incident happened yesterday at the pedestrian crossing on Bailey’s Drove, Wool.

The woman, believed to be in her 60s, was taken by air ambulance to Southampton General Hospital, where her condition was described as “serious”.

It is belived she was crossing the main Weymouth to Waterloo line with a man when she was struck by the train.

Inspector Mick Morriss of the British Transport Police said at the scene: “We are investigating an incident in which a male and a female were on the tracks and one of them was hit by a train.

“The female is being treated for serious leg injuries.

“At the moment we are treating this as an unexplained incident.”

He added: “We believe the couple got off a train at Wool station, and walked down the road to this crossing.

“We would like to speak to anyone who may have seen the pair before the incident.

“The male has been taken to Weymouth police station and we will be speaking to him within the next few hours.”

Meanwhile, a couple whose quick thinking alerted the emergency services to the scene praised the response of the ambulance and police.

Jeff and Sue Morley, who live next to the crossing, dialled 999 after hearing the commotion.

Mrs Morley said: “We heard the driver pulling the whistle repeatedly, so we knew something was wrong.

“When we got out it was clear straight away that the woman had been hit.”

Mr Morley put a blanket over the woman while Mrs Morley tried to calm the man.

Mr Morley, 58, said: “The woman was obviously very seriously injured.

“I sat next to her, and talked to her to try and reassure her.

“There was nothing else I could do. It was horrendous.”

Mrs Morley added: “The man told me he was her son, and that they had come from Bournemouth. He was absolutely distraught.

“The strange thing was he was carrying a dead dog wrapped in a blanket.”

Inspector Morriss confirmed that the male had had a dead dog with him.

He said: “We think it was already dead at the time of the incident.”

The couple said the response from the emergency services had been “brilliant”.

Mr Morley said: “They were there within minutes. It really makes you have faith in the NHS.”

A spokesperson for South West Trains said: “Services were disrupted today following an incident which occurred at around 13.55 in which a person was hit by a train at a foot crossing near Wool.

“Our immediate thou-ghts are for the welfare of the person who has been injured.”

Trains between Dorch-ester South and Wareham were replaced by bues until the line reopened at around 4.30pm.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the British Transport Police on 0800405040.

A spokesman for the Transport Police said late last night: “I can now confirm this incident is being treated as non-suspicious, with no foul play thought to be involved.

“The man detained at the scene has been released from custody. Enquiries to establish why they were on the crossing at the time are ongoing.”