A potentially fatal incident was narrowly avoided after a person was allegedly forced into a wheelie bin and pushed onto railway tracks at a DART station in Dublin.
The incident occurred shortly after 8pm on Sunday, October 4, at Harmonstown station, where a group reportedly bundled the victim into a large bin before sending it onto the tracks with the person trapped inside.
Victim escapes before train approaches
The victim suffered injuries in the fall but managed to get clear of the line before an approaching DART driver spotted the obstruction and brought the train to a halt, according to Dublin Live.
Barry Kenny, Corporate Communications Manager at Iarnród Éireann, said: "This was an appalling attack which had the potential to be much worse."
Driver halts train in time
Kenny added: "While the victim was able to immediately get off the track and back onto the platform, the driver of a Northbound DART saw the bin which was still on the tracks as the train approached and brought the DART to a halt in time. However, had the individual been incapacitated by the fall, an express service such as an Enterprise or Commuter service would have taken a much longer time to stop, with the obvious potential for serious or fatal injury."
Services delayed and investigation underway
Ambulance services, Gardaí and Iarnród Éireann's own security and infrastructure staff attended the scene, and services were delayed for 18 minutes. The company has retained CCTV to assist Gardaí with their investigation and has asked anyone with further information to contact the Gardaí.
The Gardaí have been contacted for comment regarding the incident but have yet to respond.
