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‘Commuters walked past dying pensioner’
DOZENS of Tube train passengers walked past a pensioner as he lay bleeding to death, an inquest heard.
Ernest Griffiths died from a head injury suffered in Holborn Tube station on November 4 last year. The 81-year-old, a former taxi driver and Freemason from Walthamstow, had been to a function at the Masonic headquarters in Long Acre, Covent Garden.
At last Thursday’s inquest, St Pancras coroner Dr Andrew Reid said: “Mr Griffiths fell back and hit his head. He was eventually helped by a passing medical student. But he was passed by literally dozens of people who ignored him.”
The sad sight of dozens of passengers walking past an elderly man in need of help was captured on CCTV footage.
Dr Reid said the images showed Mr Griffiths lose his balance and drop his stick on the steps. He fell backwards down five stairs, cracking his head on the floor. But no one, including Tube staff, came to his rescue.
Paul Tucker, of the British Transport Police, told the court that no Tube station employs staff specifically to watch its CCTV cameras. He said: “There is no policy for viewing live screening.”
Dr Reid said: “This CCTV is meant to be there to protect the public from crime. But if no one ever monitors it how is it ever going to protect us?”
The court heard how a medical student with first aid training came to help Mr Griffiths. She cradled his bleeding head and alerted passengers to call ambulance crews. He died in Guys Hospital around midnight.
Dr Reid ruled that the cause of death was “a traumatic head injury.” |
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