A person was forced into a large bin and pushed onto the railway tracks at Harmonstown DART station in north Dublin on Sunday evening, in an incident that narrowly avoided a fatal outcome.
The attack occurred just after 8pm on October 4. A gang pushed the victim, who was trapped inside the bin, onto the tracks. The victim suffered injuries from the fall but managed to scramble clear before an approaching DART train stopped in time.
Rail company condemns attack
Barry Kenny, Corporate Communications Manager at Iarnród Éireann, described the incident as an "appalling attack." He said: "This was an appalling attack which had the potential to be much worse."
Kenny explained that while the victim was able to get back onto the platform immediately, the driver of a Northbound DART saw the bin still on the tracks as the train approached and brought the DART to a halt in time. He added that had the individual been incapacitated by the fall, an express service such as an Enterprise or Commuter service would have taken much longer to stop, with the obvious potential for serious or fatal injury.
Emergency response and investigation
Ambulance services, Gardaí, and Iarnród Éireann's security and infrastructure staff attended the scene. Services were delayed for 18 minutes.
Kenny said: "We have retained CCTV to assist Gardaí with their investigation, and ask anyone with further information to contact the Gardai." The Gardaí have been contacted about the incident.
