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Train Driver's 10-Second Dash to Safety Amid Stabbings
11 Nov
Summary
- Driver had seconds to make critical decision during stabbing incident.
- An alarm indicated a passenger door was being opened at high speed.
- Screams of 'there's a knifeman stabbing people' were heard by the driver.
A train driver described the terrifying moments he had just seconds to decide how to react when a stabbing attack occurred on his service. Andrew Johnson, operating an LNER train from Doncaster to London, heard a scream through a microphone indicating a knifeman was attacking passengers.
Traveling at 122mph near Abbots Ripton, Johnson faced an alarm signaling a passenger door was being opened. He recalled having approximately 10 seconds to divert the train to the slow line and bring it to an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon. The court heard that if he hadn't intervened, the train would have continued a significant distance before stopping.
Further terrifying screams of 'there's a knifeman stabbing people' were relayed to Johnson during the critical decision-making period. Passengers recounted scenes of panic, with one hearing a man shouting he had a knife and intended to kill everyone on board. The accused, Anthony Williams, denies multiple attempted murder charges related to this incident and others.
