A Kraaifontein man survived after he fell onto a railway line in front of an oncoming train.
However, 25-year-old Liano Giddon passed away in hospital two hours later from a severe head injury.
His devastated mother was told about his accident while attending the memorial service of a close friend on Monday night just before 9pm.
Gloria Noah, 54, says she rushed to the Eikenfontein train
station, where she found her youngest son trapped underneath a train.
“When I got to the
station, Liano was still alive, but people did not want me to come close,” she cries.
According to Gloria, a gust of wind caused by passing trains caused Liano to fall.
Caught: Under train
“Apparently, there were two trains travelling in different directions when the accident happened. The winds of the trains then made Liano land under the train,” she says.
“The train en route to Kraaifontein was the one that hit him.
“The rescue services loaded him into an ambulance and took him to the hospital.
“He sustained serious head wounds in the accident, and unfortunately, he died due to the extent of his wounds just after 11pm.”
She describes her son as a friendly young man who was desperately looking for a job.
“He was unemployed at the moment. He had no children and was just a pleasant person,” Gloria says.
However, Metrorail’s spokesperson, Riana Scott claims Liano was jumping platforms.
“The individual is a suspected fare evader as he was jumping from one platform to another and was not in possession of a valid train ticket.”