Llandybie, Carmarthenshire: Man hit by train badly hurt - 3 November 2012

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

A man in his 20s has been seriously injured after being hit by a train in Carmarthenshire.

British Transport Police (BTP^▸ (British Transport Police)) said the incident happened in the village of Llandybie, near Ammanford, on Saturday evening.

The alarm was raised shortly before 17:30 GMT, and BTP and officers from Dyfed-Powys Police attended.

Paramedics gave the man first aid at the scene and he was airlifted to hospital by police helicopter.

BTP said they received reports that a person had been struck by a train at 17:27 GMT, while Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the victim was a man.

BTP said the incident was being treated as non-suspicious.

The train involved was the 14:06 GMT Shrewsbury to Swansea Arriva Trains Wales service.

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service sent two crews from Ammanford to the scene.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the South Wales Evening Post:

Officers tell of shock at Carmarthenshire train collision

Police officers have described the horrific moment they realised a man had lost his arm in a collision with a train.

The 43-year-old from Llandovery was in collision with the train near the Brynmarlais level crossing.

Emergency services were called to the scene and Ammanford police officers, PC Kevin Jones and PC Steve Morris were the first there.

PC Kevin Jones said: ^We both did as much as we could until the paramedics arrived.^

Officer Jones said he believed the man had received a glancing blow until he saw his arm.

^I have been in the force for 23 years and it was the biggest shock I have had in my life.^

Officer Jones said he went into auto-pilot at the scene and took off his belt to use it as a tourniquet on the man^s arm.

^It was horrendous, but he is lucky to be alive,^ he added.

The man is believed to have been struck by the train at low speed after the driver applied the emergency brake after seeing him on the tracks.

He was airlifted to Morriston Hospital in Swansea, following the incident, which happened at around 5.30pm on Saturday, November 3 where he underwent surgery on Saturday night.

Officer Jones said that from what he could understand the man was ok.

Ward councillor Anthony Jones, who lives just 200 yards from where the incident occurred, said: ^The emergency services were all working frantically to help the injured man. Our thoughts are with the individual who was injured.

^We hope the individual will make a full recovery,^ he added.

A British Transport Police (BTP^▸ (British Transport Police)) spokesman said they were not treating the incident as suspicious and were working alongside colleagues at Dyfed-Powys Police.