DNA
Mumbai, Dec 11 (mb): Motorman Jagtar Singh, who was injured when his CST-bound fast local from Kasara collided with a JCB earthmover crane near Kanjurmarg railway station on Sunday, is recuperating at the Kalyan Railway Hospital.
Speaking to DNA, Singh said, “I was shocked to see a huge crane come suddenly in front of the train travelling at 80 kilometers per hour. I immediately applied the emergency brakes to stop the train.”
Singh joined the Central Railway as a motorman fifteen years back and this was his first accident.
“I thank God for helping me make a quick decision and apply the emergency brakes. Right next to the motorman’s cabin is the ladies compartment, if the crane would have crashed into the bogies, it would have been a major accident. The train could have derailed also,” he added further.
Singh, 39, is a resident of Radha Nagar housing complex in the Khadakpada locality of Kalyan and has three school-going children. Singh said that the training he received while joining the Railways helped him largely while dealing with the situation.
Singh, who suffered injury on his head and left hand, was taken to Godrej hospital in Vikhroli before being shifted to Kalyan Railway Hospital.
He will be discharged on Monday evening and will be on bed rest for a few days.
Crane operator didn’t have licence: The railway department is being blamed for its callousness to allow unsupervised track-laying, which caused a JCB crane to crash into a CST-bound train near Kanjurmarg station on Sunday.