'Driver told: Stop helping stab victim'

http://www.thisislondon.com/news/art...ing%20Standard

By Dick Murray, Evening Standard, Transport Editor

16 August 2004

The Tube train driver who tried to help a teenager dying of stab
wounds on a station platform was allegedly ordered by his boss to stop
what he was doing and continue driving.

The driver had taken off his shirt to try to stem the bleeding of
Sayed Abbas, 19, at Hounslow West station - but the young man died
shortly after being taken to the West Middlesex hospital.

He was kneeling beside the injured youth and taking instructions from
the emergency services on a mobile phone when a station supervisor
approached to say he had a message from the line controller.

The driver's union claimed he was told to "stop what he was doing and
move the train". At that point the paramedics had not arrived.

Steve Grant, London district secretary of Aslef, the train driver's
union, today condemned London Underground's order to the driver as
"heartless and absolutely disgraceful".

Mr Grant, a former Tube driver, said: "To approach a member of staff
who is desperately trying to save a life and tell them to stop beggars
belief.

At the very least, the driver should have been allowed to continue
what he was doing until the emergency services arrived.

"As usual, LU was more concerned about the service than the safety of
customers.

"We are given basic training in first aid - but when it comes to it,
with the driver now the only staff member on the train, it is they who
face the brunt of whatever happens and have to deal with it.

"The line controllers are on drivers' backs all the time."

Mr Abbas, a Briton of Middle Eastern origin, was with two friends when
he was stabbed.

The incident happened at about 11.15pm last Thursday and was revealed
in Friday's Evening Standard.

The Piccadilly line driver - who is not named - is now off sick
following the killing.

He reported that as his train approached the station he saw someone
lying on the platform.

He tried to contact the line controller on his train radio to raise
the alarm but was unable to. After stopping the train at the platform
the driver walked back to see what had happened.

Finding the man had been stabbed he then ran back to the front of the
train to where there was an internal telephone on the platform.

This time he made contact with the line controller and told him what
had happened.

The driver then returned to the injured teenager.

By then someone had contacted the emergency services, the driver took
the mobile and was given instructions about how to stop the blood
loss.

He took off his shirt to use as a makeshift pressure bandage.

As he was doing this it is claimed the station supervisor approached
and the message from the line controller was relayed. An LU
spokeswoman said she was unable to comment "for legal reasons".

Four people have been charged with the murder of Mr Abbas and will
today appear at Feltham magistrates' court.

Police named two of the four as Oluwasey Ogunsanya, 19, and Hassan
Hassan, 18.

The two others, aged 16 and 17, cannot be named from legal reasons.