Man seeks stranger who saved him from train tracks

Simon Burke is looking for the man who he credits with saving him

A man who collapsed onto the tracks at a railway station hopes to find the stranger who saved him.

Simon Burke, a building surveyor from Guildford in Surrey, was travelling home on 10 July when he blacked out and fell onto the tracks at Cheltenham Spa in Gloucestershire.

He remembers sitting back up on the platform as his train pulled up in front of him, and it was then he was told a 'Good Samaritan' had jumped onto the tracks to save him before boarding a train to Birmingham.

"I just want to say thank you because I think he's instrumental in saving my life or, certainly, some of my limbs," Mr Burke said.

Mr Burke had been working in Cheltenham last month and said he had "no indication" something was going to happen.

On the busy platform at the railway station, he stood just behind the yellow line, eager to get a seat.

"I felt just marginally dizzy and then blacked out.

"I woke up on the tracks once I impacted the floor with head on one track and feet on the other.

"What I didn't realise was a young lad jumped off the other platform and came over and helped me up," he said.

Mr Burke fell onto the tracks at Cheltenham Spa

By the time Mr Burke was back on the platform, the train had stopped in front of him, meaning he missed being hit "by seconds", he said.

Following the incident, Mr Burke spent three days on a cardiac ward at the The Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust in Guildford and now has a loop monitor under his skin.

He has been told he must not drive for six months because of the unexplained blackout, meaning trains are now his main mode of transport.

"I'm certainly not going to stand next to the platform edge ever again," he said.

'Blacked out'

Mr Burke believes his rescuer must live in Cheltenham or Birmingham, as the latter was the next and final stop on the train he boarded.

"I might not have died but I certainly would have had my feet amputated, which is quite a horrific thought," he said.

A spokesperson for GWR said: "We're pleased to hear that the customer wasn't more seriously hurt in this incident, and we commend our station staff for their swift response.

"While accidents can happen, the railway presents significant risks.

"For everyone's safety, passengers should never enter the track.

"Instead, please immediately contact a member of staff who can safely stop all trains and assist you."