Commuters unable to help visually impaired woman hit by train, inquest told

A visually impaired woman died after she fell from a station platform in Dublin and was struck by a train.

Patricia Brennan (57), from Ashcroft, Raheny, overstepped the platform edge at Raheny Dart Station on August 14th, 2014. She fell onto train tracks and was unable to get up, an inquest into her death heard. CCTV footage showed the train enter the station twenty seconds later. The north bound commuter train was not scheduled to stop at Raheny station, the inquest heard.

Ms Brennan, who'd been using the train station for 20 years, was on her way to meet up with members of a walking group for the visually impaired at Howth. Described as active and social, she had taken early retirement from the Bank of Ireland two years previously.

"She was always out and about. She used a white stick. She was very social and a bit of a chatterbox," her sister Marie Fogarty said.

Ms Brennan would “count her steps and feel the bumps” in order to navigate the train station, Ms Fogarty added.

The fall at Raheny Station was witnessed by a Venezuelan student, Dilia Zepra, whose statement was read out at Dublin Coroner’s Court.

“I saw a woman fall from the platform onto the tracks. I shouted out to her, ‘Are you okay?’ She said ‘Yes, I just missed a few steps.’ She was trying to get up but was unable.”

Ms Zepra said she shouted to warn the woman to hurry as she could ‘hear something coming.’ “Then I saw the train coming and I shouted and waved for it to stop,” she said.

Commuter Joanne Cuddy arrived at the station and saw a girl on the platform shouting to indicate that someone was on the tracks. She went over and spoke with Ms Brennan.

“I asked her name and told her I was staying with her and help was coming,” Ms Cuddy said. “She was between the train wheels and the wall, partially under the wheels.”

The commuter train from Pearse Street to Drogheda had departed Connolly Station and the next scheduled stop was Malahide. The train was travelling around 70km/h according to driver Paul Dias.

“Entering Raheny station I saw a girl waving her arms and I saw something move on the tracks and I knew it was a person. I hit the brakes and blew the horn, it all happened in seconds,” he said.

Ms Brennan was rushed to Beaumont Hospital but was in cardiac arrest on arrival. She was pronounced dead there.

The cause of death was chest and pelvic injuries consistent with being struck by a train. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

Lar Griffin, a district traction executive based at Connolly Station said there are six rows of raised bumps on Iarnrod Eireann platforms to warn the visually impaired they are approaching the edge.