New details emerge after stroller deaths

One witness gave a harrowing account of being asked to hold back a screaming mother whose stroller rolled in front of a train, killing one of her twin daughters and her heroic husband.

Commuters watched in horror as the stroller carrying the two-year-old twins rolled onto the tracks at Carlton station in southern Sydney at around 12.25pm ​​on Sunday.

The twins’ 40-year-old father jumped from the platform in a brave attempt to save the twins, but was hit by a passing train, killing both the father and one of the twins.

Witness Lauren Langelaar told Daily Mail Australia that the surviving girl who was caught under the train had “barely a scratch” when she was finally reunited with her distraught mother. The girl was released from hospital on Monday morning.

Mrs Langelaar was working across the street when the tragedy occurred. She ran to the platform after hearing the mother’s cries for help.

“I ran out to help the mother because all I could hear was her screaming while I was looking down at the tracks,” said Ms Langelaar.

“It all happened very quickly. I was down on the platform and helped the mother scream for her children and her husband under the train.”

Ms Langelaar said a Sydney Trains employee who was on the platform called emergency services and explained they could only hear “a child” crying.

When the police arrived, they asked Mrs Langelaar to hold the mother while the officers jumped onto the tracks.

Miraculously, one of the twin girls was pulled out from under the train and escaped the accident “almost without a scratch.”

“When I sat her down, the little girl was pulled out from under the train with almost no scratches, she was just crying,” said Ms Langelaar.

She added that the mother “begged” paramedics to give her her little girl so she could hold her in her arms, but her request was initially denied because the toddler’s injuries were not yet clear.

“She initially refused to be examined by the paramedics. She just wanted to hold her daughter in her arms,” ​​said Ms Langelaar.

“Then she continued to scream, ‘Where are my husband and my other child?'”

Ms Langelaar said paramedics continued to examine the little girl while she lay in her mother’s arms as she “did not appear to be injured” and only had a “slight bump on the back of the head”.

The surviving toddler was taken to St. George Hospital along with his mother, who was on the platform at the time of the accident. Both have since been discharged.

Ms Langelaar said a man tried unsuccessfully to flag down the driver to alert him to the danger.

“Apparently a man tried to wave to the train to stop, but since the train was not scheduled to stop at that station, he simply had no chance,” said Ms Langelaar.

New South Wales Police Superintendent Paul Dunstan said the parents apparently took their hands off the stroller for “a very brief period” as it rolled toward the tracks.

Mr Dunstan said police were investigating what caused the stroller to overturn and suggested it could have been something as simple as a “gust of wind”.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, who lives just 100 metres from the station, said the father died while carrying out an “extraordinary, instinctive act of bravery”.

“He gave his own life to try to save his children,” he said.

Mr Minns described the incident as a “terrible, terrible tragedy” for the surviving family members and first responders.

The Prime Minister did not rule out the introduction of new measures for railway platforms to prevent similar tragedies.

“We will work with NSW Trains and police investigations and if changes are needed we will make them,” he said.

“It is too early to say, but I do not want to rule out possible changes.

“Railway stations can be dangerous places and we all need to be aware of that.”

Sydney Trains CEO Matthew Longland said he did not want to speculate on the outcome of the police investigation, but stressed that all recommendations to improve safety would be taken into account.

“Our top priority is to support those involved and assist with the investigation to ensure we have all the relevant facts to fully understand the incident,” Mr Longland told 7News.

“We will take into account all recommendations resulting from the investigation. I would like to remind everyone to be particularly careful on the platforms when travelling on the rail network.

“Stay behind the yellow line and keep a safe distance from the platform edge. Train stations are very dangerous places.”

Mr Longland described the scene as “confronting” and thanked first responders for their efforts.

“Incidents like this are very stressful for everyone involved and I would like to thank all first responders for their efforts in dealing with such a difficult situation,” Longland said.

One possible safety measure could be platform screen doors, which have been installed throughout Sydney’s new subway network.

Each door weighs 175 kilograms, is about 2.5 meters high and forms a complete barrier between the platform and the track.

“The doors will help improve safety by creating a barrier between the platforms and tracks, allowing passengers to move around the platforms more efficiently,” Sydney Metro said.

The platform screen doors have undergone extensive testing before they begin operating on the subway in early 2024.

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