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Two Hit By Septa Trains Within Same Hour Earlier This Month

Earlier this month, two pedestrians were struck by commuter trains in Suburban Philadelphia within an hour of one another in what a SEPTA official called a “tragic coincidence.” The accidents occurred on the afternoon of Sept. 12, and luckily, neither accident was fatal.

The SEPTA spokeswoman said the first accident involved a 16-year-old boy who was hit by a Warminster Local train heading outbound at about 3:10 p.m. south of the Ardsley Train Station in Glenside. The spokeswoman said construction and headphones were likely factors in the accident.

It appears that the teenager was walking on what he thought were just inbound tracks, but both outbound and inbound trains were running on the inbound because of construction that was being done. A spokesman from the Abington Township Police Department said the teen was listening to music and likely did not hear the train approaching.

Apparently, the train engineer blew the horn to alert the teen as the train approached the teen from behind, but the police spokesman said the teen either didn’t hear the horn or presumed that the train would pass him safely on the other set of tracks. The engineer was unable to stop the train before it hit the teen.

The injured teen was taken to a nearby hospital where he was listed in critical but stable condition.

Within the same hour, a 29-year-old man from Lansdale was struck by a different outbound commuter train. The accident occurred near the loading platform at the Lansdale Station at approximately 3:49 p.m. The man was discovered under the train, but police say he was conscious and alert.

According to witnesses, the man hopped a fence on SEPTA property and walked across the tracks. Apparently, as he attempted to hoist himself up to the train platform, he was struck by the outbound train and was thrown onto the tracks. Luckily, the emergency breaks had been applied and the train came to a halt.

It appears the man suffered non-life threatening injuries to his head and ankle. It does not appear that construction played a factor in the second train accident. The SEPTA spokeswoman claims the events were unrelated.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, “SEPTA trains hit two pedestrians in separate incidents,” Bonnie L. Cook, Sept. 13, 2012