Press Assoc. - 1 hour 5 minutes ago

A commuter who was pushed on to a railway line after telling two young men to stop smoking on a station platform said she was "lucky to be alive".

Linda Buchanan, 58, suffered bruising and a fractured wrist and was taken to hospital after the incident, which happened at Farningham Road station in Kent during Wednesday morning's rush hour.

She told Sky News: "I'm just thinking at the end of the day I am lucky to be alive. It could have been a lot worse than it has been. I'm just shocked by the whole experience."

Detective Inspector Bob Richardson of British Transport Police said Ms Buchanan was lucky she did not land on the track's live rail.

He said: "It would appear the woman had spoken to the men about smoking earlier this week.

"(On Wednesday) morning when she was at the station, she was walking past the same men when one of them pushed her and she fell onto the track. She suffered a fractured wrist and bruising to her legs. She was taken to hospital for treatment but has since been released.

"The woman was very lucky she was not more seriously injured. The third rail carries 750 volts of electricity and she could have been electrocuted or even struck by an early morning train."

Southeastern train services between Kent and London were disrupted because the live rail had to be turned off. The train company said the woman was rescued by fellow passengers after the attack.

A Southeastern spokesman said: "We are appalled by this incident and hope the perpetrators are quickly identified."

Smoking is banned on station platforms.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/pressass/20080806/tuk-men-push-commuter-on-to-rail-track-6323e80.html

People are horrible... I hope they catch the hooligans responsible...

People are horrible... I hope they catch the hooligans responsible...

kids these days, well most of them, have no respect for the law or their elders. they need the book thrown at them when caught :mad:

^ What a terrible thing to have happen. That lady was lucky she wasn't killed.

:eek: oh my gosh. people are so cruel. what kind of a person pushes a woman onto railroad tracks? sheesh. i hope they find these two asap. maybe they need to be pushed in front of a train to see how it feels.

Hope they catch the creeps and the judge throws the book at them.

People rarely report on the good people do. No wonder everyone assumes young people have no respect.

What about all the good young people are doing that is never reported? Not newsworthy. I've seen young people build great things. I've seen us work long, hot, hard hours on projects for little or no pay, for largely no thanks... News programs spend what? Thirty seconds on a story like a bunch of kids actively improving their community. Not eye catching. Not appalling. And that's why we don't hear about it near as much.

Kids have no respect? I don't buy it. Most young people understand better than a lot of older people. We shape our communities with those actions.

Anyway, I'm a little confused. Evidently, what the lady said about smoking lead to the later attack. But what did she say and how did she say it. Obviously doesn't excuse the attackers. I'm just curious. The story kinda glosses over that part, which I find frustrating.

It's funny how the article says she was "lucky" five or six times. Why don't they acknowledge that it's more than luck that she missed the live rail?

In any case, I'm tired and rambling and should probably get to bed before my random musings gets me into trouble...

People rarely report on the good people do. No wonder everyone assumes young people have no respect.

What about all the good young people are doing that is never reported? Not newsworthy. I've seen young people build great things. I've seen us work long, hot, hard hours on projects for little or no pay, for largely no thanks... News programs spend what? Thirty seconds on a story like a bunch of kids actively improving their community. Not eye catching. Not appalling. And that's why we don't hear about it near as much.

Kids have no respect? I don't buy it. Most young people understand better than a lot of older people. We shape our communities with those actions.

Anyway, I'm a little confused. Evidently, what the lady said about smoking lead to the later attack. But what did she say and how did she say it. Obviously doesn't excuse the attackers. I'm just curious. The story kinda glosses over that part, which I find frustrating.

It's funny how the article says she was "lucky" five or six times. Why don't they acknowledge that it's more than luck that she missed the live rail?

In any case, I'm tired and rambling and should probably get to bed before my random musings gets me into trouble...

i understand where you are coming from. btw, i didn't say all kids have no respect or morals. a lot of them do great things, its such a shame we don't hear or read about their achievements in the press and in the media. yes the media are to blame for showing youngsters and teenagers in a negative light, but the blame also lies with those stupid parents who kids pushed that woman on the rail tracks. and as for smoking in railways and on trains, this is forbidding and is not allowed in the UK under UK law