Light rail passengers in Germany experienced a scene from a suspense movie after the driver lost consciousness • They broke into a cell and were able to stop the speeding vehicles in time
Light rail in Germany // Photo: IP
An incident in Germany that was taken from a suspense film miraculously ended yesterday (Sunday) with no casualties in mind thanks to the resourcefulness of ordinary citizens. It all began when a light rail driver traveling between the city of Ziggburg and Boone had a sudden medical problem that caused him to lose consciousness a little before one in the morning.
At some point the passengers realized that something was wrong after the train raced forward and passed stations on the road without slowing down. Their attempt to stop her using the emergency handle also did not help.
As a last resort, after realizing that there was no choice but to take over the train, two men broke into the driver's cab by breaking the separating glass, while another woman called the train station to get instructions on how to stop the train.
"They did the right thing to do in such dangerous situations and probably saved human lives," the local mayor praised the good citizens. "We were afraid we were going to die. We felt helpless," one passenger told local media. The train company said the emergency brake was not supposed to stop the train immediately but merely alerted the driver to the need to stop, so there was no malfunction.
Authorities have already begun to investigate whether all procedures have been followed, and one question is why other systems should not have been activated to alert the company's military that the driver has fainted.
