A Toronto mother of two is on a long road to recovery after her usual morning commute took a disastrous turn.
Manal Srouji, 46, sustained life-threatening injuries one early Tuesday morning in September while waiting for the train to work.
She was standing on the narrow platform, facing the direction of her train, when her backpack got caught on another train speeding by in the opposite direction behind her.
Now, three weeks after the accident, Ms Srouji has come off life support, regained her ability to talk and can move her upper body. And while she can’t remember the moment the train hit, or even the hour before it happened, she is grateful for that.
She said: ‘In a way, it’s a blessing. I don’t have to relive it.’
Manal Srouji, 46, sustained life-threatening injuries one early Tuesday morning in September while waiting for the train to work
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Ms Srouji said weeks later from her hospital bed: ‘Usually, I’m a very careful person. I don’t walk close to the edges or step on the yellow lines.’
When the train rushing by struck her, Ms Srouji was left face-down on the yellow strip on the platform with half her body hanging over the edge.
She was rushed to the hospital, where she remained on life support for at least a week, unable to move or speak. She had two broken legs and multiple fractures, including to her pelvis and elbow.
A fractured pelvis or other bones pose a direct threat to the organs surrounding them because bone fractures can puncture nearby structures and cause internal bleeding.
Her first memory is of being in a hospital bed without any idea of how she came to be there.
Lying prone in a hospital bed with metal rods installed to hold her legs and pelvis in place, she said while she was on life support and unable to express herself, she could hear a friend’s voice nearby saying: ‘This will pass. You’re going to be ok.’
Her 22-year-old son has not left her side since the accident on September 17. He was the first to tell her that her bag had gotten snagged on a passing express train, but the details remain unclear.
There is no indication yet when she’ll be able to walk again, but she said she is taking her recovery ‘one day at a time.’
She added: ‘I don’t have much of a choice.’
Ms Srouji, who provides professional support and assistance to clients navigating the Canadian legal system, was waiting for the 8:11 am eastbound train on a crowded platform that had been made more narrow than usual due to ongoing construction, as reported in the Toronto Star.
Frequent commuters at the Long Branch station have said this narrower platform is a longstanding safety risk.
The train station has one island platform with tracks on both sides and an additional side platform on the south side. The widest part of the island platform spans approximately 10 to 13 feet, while the west end narrows to about 5 feet, where Ms Srouji was struck.
The length of the platform has also been cut in half as Metrolinx, government-run transportation agency, works on expanding and redesigning the station for improved accessibility.
As a result, transit riders can only board and disembark from a limited number of train cars.
Commuters at the Long Branch station near Toronto have said ongoing construction has narrowed platforms which become overcrowded during rush hour
Metrolinx is investigating the incident and has alerted customers to stay back from the yellow lines and hold their bags and belongings close to their bodies.
Fellow commuters said the station’s construction, which is slated to continue until 2027, was a disaster waiting to happen, the Toronto Star reported.
Long Branch local Lisa Davis, who occasionally takes the train from that station while her husband takes it daily, said construction, compounded by reduced service, ‘was a recipe for this exact incident.’
Ms Srouji believes the incident could have been avoided if Metrolinx had implemented proper safeguards for customers during times of construction.
She and other commuters have urged Metrolinx to install safety barriers on the platform, increase service frequency to reduce the number of people waiting for trains at a single time, and ensure express trains pass by the station on the tracks farthest from the platforms.
Metrolinx, meanwhile, told the Toronto Star safety measures ‘are always put in place during construction,’ including reduced speeds of passing trains and extra staff at stations.
The government agency added: ‘We will continue to review the effectiveness of these controls on an ongoing basis to ensure the safety of our customers and staff.
‘Please remember to always be aware of trains passing at any moment, listen for station announcements and ensure your bags and parcels are close to your body.’
