British police's praise for man who rescued commuter on London tube

The British Transport Police was on Wednesday urging a heroic commuter who risked his life by jumping onto the London Underground rail tracks to rescue an ill passenger to come forward.

The British Transport Police was full of praise for the quick thinking yet unidentified commuter.

A 47-year-old man had fallen onto the tracks at Tottenham Court Road station in central London on Tuesday after becoming ill, the Mirror reported.

A bystander on the platform risked his own life by jumping onto the tracks to rescue the ill passenger.

The passenger had stumbled on the platform before falling onto the tracks but was pulled to safety by the commuter.

After paramedics treated the man at the scene, he was taken to hospital and treated for a chest injury.

A Transport Police official said: "Going onto the tracks is extremely dangerous but the bravery of this man has to be praised.

"The man sprung to the rescue and hauled him back onto the platform, whilst other commuters alerted the emergency services. Whilst the approaching train was immediately put on a red signal, the quick thinking of him and other passengers on the platform avoided what could have been a tragedy," the official added.

"On behalf of everyone at British Transport Police, I did like to commend this man for his brave actions -- his quick thinking most likely saved the man's life," the Mirror quoted an official as saying.

A London Ambulance Service official said: "We sent an Incident Response Officer, a Single Responder in a car, an ambulance crew and London's Air Ambulance to the scene. We treated one patient, a man, for a chest injury, he was taken to hospital as a priority."

--IANS

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