Caltrain Recognizes Heroic Efforts to Prevent Tragedies

Caltrain's Board of Directors took time out at a recent meeting to applaud the actions of two riders and two Sunnyvale Public Safety Officers who selflessly stepped in to save lives in separate incidents.

Late last year, Caltrain rider BJ Wishinsky and fellow passenger Jamie Nichols were waiting for a train at the San Antonio station when Wishinsky noticed a man sitting on the platform with his feet dangling into the track bed. When she told the man he was sitting in a very dangerous place, the man told her he wanted to commit suicide.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Wishinsky called the Mountain View Police Department. At this point, Nichols stepped in to offer his assistance.

The two riders pulled the despondent man clear of the tracks as an approaching train entered the station. Wishinsky and Nichols restrained him until authorities arrived.

In Sunnyvale, the situation couldn't have been more different but the response was equally heroic.

Lieutenant Phillip Carr and Public Safety Officer Russell Howard of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety were aboard a fire department engine in early January when they noticed a driver stuck on the tracks at the Mary Avenue railroad crossing.

Seeing an oncoming train, Lieutenant Carr told the driver to get out of his vehicle and off the tracks. The driver refused, still believing that he could get his car off the tracks and make it to safety.

Lieutenant Carr and Officer Howard pulled the driver from the vehicle and carry him to safety before the car was hit by the approaching train and shoved down the tracks 200 feet.

Caltrain's Board Chair John McLemore called the actions, "examples of true heroism," and thanked the group on behalf of train crews and passengers for their lifesaving efforts.

Caltrain's top priority is safety. The rail agency encourages all passengers and communities to report any suspicious activities along the rail corridor to 877.SAF.RAIL.