A 32-year-old man who fell from a moving train denied claims that he had been trying to dodge authorities at the time because he didn’t have a ticket.
Matthew van Schalkwyk of Lavender Hill, who is a carpenter, says he was forced to give up his job after sustaining a back injury due to the fall at Retreat Station last Tuesday.
Last Wednesday, Metrorail spokesperson Riana Scott told the Daily Voice the victim had been fleeing from the conductor to avoid paying for the trip.
But an upset Matthew says he has a ticket to prove he paid for his trip.
Thursday, Matthew produced his ticket dated 26 February 2019, and said he was going to report the matter to Metrorail.Carriage.
SCENE: Mathew badly hurt in the fall
“I was on my way to work in Fish Hoek and I wanted to move from one carriage to the other,” he explains.
“I was in third class and that carriage was becoming full and that’s why I slipped and fell.”
Matthew says he thought he would die when he fell and saw his life “flashing before his eyes”.
He says he managed to keep his wits about him and quickly crawled out from under the moving train.
He injured his back and has lacerations to his face, and yesterday still sported bruises.
“I pay my way like everyone,” he says. “Metrorail will be hearing from me as I need to fill in claim forms and report my side of the story.”
Matthew says he has since resigned from his job because he suffers from severe back pain.