Wellington train derailment: Witness who rushed to help said front section ‘dismembered’ in crash
A Wellingtonian who was first on the scene of the Khandallah commuter train derailment has described how the front of the train was “completely buckled” in the crash.
He saw “a lot of blood” in the train driver’s cabin and said both driver and conductor appeared “very much in shock“.
About eight people were injured on Saturday night when a train on the Johnsonville Line train struck the barrier south of Khandallah Station.
A set of concrete blocks were the only things stopping the train from careering down into neighbouring homes, it was earlier reported.
Local man Chris Myatt was attending a dinner party at a friend’s house when he heard a loud “bang” sound “rumbling through the ground“ about 7.20pm.
He and a friend came outside to investigate the source of the noise and found a train had crashed just beyond the edge of the platform.
When he arrived at the scene, Myatt said he made a quick risk assessment before deciding it was safe for him and his friend to enter the passenger carriage, where people were moving around.
He said he was trained in first-aid and had spent years as a Scout, which helped him systematically assess passengers’ injuries and immediate needs while they waited for the police and ambulance to arrive.
Myatt did not see anyone in the front part of the train which he said was “fantastic” because the area had “completely buckled” and the entire cabin looked “dismembered”.
“The front carriage was buckled and concertinaed into the second carriage. The seats in the front carriage were torn from their mountings or decapitated,” he said.
When first responders arrived, Myatt said he coordinated with them to get aid to the most seriously injured passengers.
He said one of his biggest priorities was ensuring none of the disoriented passengers wandered off the train without being assessed.
Myatt’s advice for civilians helping in emergencies was clear: “Don’t put yourself in danger to try and save somebody else.”
“The fact is that there could have been power lines that come down, and the ambulance officers said that there could have been methane in there.”
He said while most people had a “good Samaritan gene” that kicked in during emergencies, it was important helpful civilians did not become victims themselves and make the situation worse for trained first responders.
Greater Wellington Regional Council deputy chairwoman Ros Connelly said this morning all the safety systems in place had done exactly what was expected to prevent further damage.
“The message for Wellington commuters is that the train and the whole network responded as we would have hoped,” Connelly told Nadine Higgins on Ryan Bridge TODAY.
“The Johnsonville train, which was heading south on its way to Wellington, left the main track just south of Johnsonville and headed down a safety runaway line where it hit a concrete block and came to a halt. So both the safety line and the block and the way the train crumpled were all parts of the safety system. So they responded as we’d hope and kept commuters safe from further injury,” she said.
“This is, I guess, cold comfort for those on the train,” she said, noting this was a “significant traumatic event for them”.
“Undoubtedly it was really lucky that it happened reasonably late on a Saturday evening”, when less people were on board, and the council’s thoughts were with everyone who was on the train that night, particularly those who were injured, several of whom were taken to hospital with injuries ranging in severity.
Connelly said those patients were reportedly stable now.
“That’s at least some comfort this morning.”
The rest of the train network was “really safe” and Connelly assured commuters there was not a systemic safety issue. It was “too early to say” what caused the crash.
TAIC chief investigator of accidents Louise Cook said the investigation team has been collecting and preserving evidence.
“That will probably continue for the next couple of days and then of course there’ll be interviews and analysis of documentary evidence as well.”
She said investigators will be interviewing people involved, looking at the tracks and the signalling system, and examining the train’s log, which records its data.
Janhavi Gosavi is a Wellington-based journalist for the New Zealand Herald who covers news in the capital.