Departing Septa Commuter Train Knocks Passenger Under Train
(Eddystone, Pennsylvania – October 24, 2011)
A detraining passenger was knocked from an open car door and onto Southeast Pennsylvania Transit Authority rails when it departed without warning from the Eddystone, PA SEPTA station Monday morning.
Patricia Biswanger, 55, of Delaware County, PA, was one step from getting off the train when it suddenly departed. She was knocked between the train and the station platform, landing on the rock ballast. A friend and eyewitness pinpointed the exact location of Biswanger’s fall, which was evidently not what investigators claimed.
She said that the beep signaling the train’s eminent departure and door closure never sounded, and that no SEPTA train personnel were on the platform to stop the train in the event of emergency.
“When’s this thing going to hit my legs? the victim said “what’s it going to feel like when it hits? You know, is it going to cut my legs off? Am I going to get mangled?”
Biswanger claimed that it was a near-fatal accident that could have been avoided if proper procedures were followed. SEPTA said they are investigating the incident.
