Cement lorry falls on passing train

A passenger yesterday described the moment a concrete mixer lorry smashed onto the roof of a train after it had fallen from a bridge.

Footballer Timi Raji heard desperate cries from a trapped passenger after the lorry landed on the roof of a South West Trains Guildford to London Waterloo service near Oxshott in Surrey yesterday afternoon.

The lorry crashed through a brick wall on a bridge above the busy commuter line, landing on the roof of the third carriage from the back of the eight-carriage train near Oxshott station.

Five people, one believed to be the lorry driver, were taken to hospital, two with serious injuries and three with minor injuries.

Mr Raji, 18, a semi-professional footballer with Woking Football Club, was in the carriage next to the one that was crushed and rushed to the adjoining door when the train ground to a halt following a loud bang.

He said: “The door was blocked but we could see someone was at the bottom of the carriage, trying to get out. The train had been crushed and the guy was trying to escape. He was on his stomach and we could only see his feet sticking out. My friends and I were trying to calm him down and talking to him. He was saying ‘help, help’.”

The man was rescued by emergency services and was believed to be suffering back injuries, he added.

Mr Raji was travelling home from Guildford in Surrey to London Waterloo with six teammates when the train was hit.

He said: “All of a sudden we heard a bang and the lights were twitching, going on and off. No one knew what had happened. The train kept stopping. I thought it was a terrorist attack. My friends were saying ‘what’s that?’ A lot of people were panicking.”

South West Trains said there were around 40 passengers on the train at the time of the collision.

A spokesman for South East Coast Ambulance Service said five people had been taken to hospitals in the area.

Two were being treated for serious injuries and had been taken to St George’s Hospital in Tooting, London. One of these is believed to be the lorry driver.

Two other people have been taken to Epsom General Hospital in Surrey and another passenger has gone to the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford.

A total of 39 passengers were assessed at the scene but did not need further treatment.

Superintendent Philip Trendall of the British Transport Police, speaking from the scene, said: “There was substantial damage to the train, which remained upright during the accident.”

One passenger described on Twitter how he narrowly escaped injury.

The man, who was travelling to work and was still on the train, said: “See this sh*t on TV but it’s actually happening to me.”

He added: “Imagine we was gonna sit on that carriage too. God blessed us survivors today.”

The passenger posted a series of pictures showing how the roof of the train completely caved in.

He said the seriously injured passenger had spinal injuries.

Network Rail said the incident happened at around 1530.

A spokesman said the incident had taken place on a branch line and would therefore not result in major disruption to the network.

Footage broadcast from a helicopter hovering over the incident showed a Premix lorry on the tracks beneath a road bridge.

The train could be seen about 50 metres further up the track away from the lorry.