[mike313]

A blind woman’s guide dog who was seriously injured after being dragged by the SkyTrain will recover but likely will not be able to work with the blind again, a TransLink spokesman said on Sunday.

Ken Hardie said the incident happened around 10:30 a.m. Thursday when the SkyTrain stopped at the Lougheed Station platform and for some unknown reason the dog disembarked the train while the woman did not.

Riders watched in horror as the door closed and the dog started running along the platform to keep up with the train before she fell and was dragged along the platform.

“It was terribly traumatic,” said Hardie. “The poor dog was pulled off the platform and onto the track. In the process the dog struck a post.”

The leash was thin, he said, and it snapped just as the train left the station.

Hardie said there are automatic sensors that cause the train to stop if someone or something is on the tracks at the station but because the dog didn’t hit the tracks until just beyond the platform, they didn’t go off.

People immediately called SkyTrain security and the train was stopped, said Hardie, adding that concerned citizens then jumped onto the tracks to fetch the badly injured dog.

They heaved the dog off the tracks and sat comforting her while they waited for help to arrive.

The dog’s owner got off at the next stop and was helped home by SkyTrain employees. Staff also took the dog to the veterinarian.

Hardie said the dog suffered a broken nose among other “serious injuries” but said he is expected to survive.

“It may not work again as a guide dog but we don’t know if that’s due to its actions of leaving the train too early or because of the injuries.”

The woman has filed an incident report, but Hardie could not say whether she was seeking compensation from TransLink.

He said a full review will be conducted, which may include an additional investigation with a provincial safety regulator to see whether the system worked properly.


http://www.globaltvedmonton.com/world/Guide+dragged+from+SkyTrain+suffered+serious+injur ies/3617881/story.html



So sad ='[ hope it recovers quickly

[StylinRed]

surprised the safety features didnt react; a strap stuck in the doors should be serious enough to affect them

[orange7]

QQ

[JordanLee]

surprised the safety features didnt react; a strap stuck in the doors should be serious enough to affect them

Those doors have pretty cheesy seals to begin with. I've counted many trains where I could see thru the cracks on the doors.

[Santofu]

Wow. that's totally brutal.
My backpack straps always get stuck between the doors without knowing it. I had to wait for the next stop that opens the same door so i can finally sit down. I tried to pull it out, didn't work.

[Soundy]

Right after they ran the story on the evening news, Robin Stickley noted that the dog was now up and walking around... she'll still need reconstructive surgery on her nose to be able to eat properly again, but it's amazing she's still alive.

[Mr.HappySilp]

even when the train is running you can force the doors to open (the gap whould be like a few inches). I try that before and is very easy to do.

[flagella]

Dog is very strong when it comes survivability. It also recovers very quick.

[Soundy]

even when the train is running you can force the doors to open (the gap whould be like a few inches). I try that before and is very easy to do.

Watching the story, I just wondered why nobody hit the emergency stop. According to the story, it took until the dog hit the sensors on the track before it stopped.

[Kamui712]

^ more often than not ppl are like deer in the headlights when somethings happening. they just stand there and watch.

it's called the "bystander effect"

is a social psychological phenomenon that refers to cases where individuals do not offer help in an emergency situation when other people are present. The probability of help has in the past been thought to be inversely related to the number of bystanders; in other words, the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that any one of them will help"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect

[OTG-ZR2]

^I have never seen a emergency stop button....

[vafanculo]

Ya, there's a yellow silent alarm strip... But I dunno if there's an E stop button
Posted via RS Mobile (http://www.revscene.net/forums/announcement.php?a=228)

[snowball]

The emergency button doesn't actually stop the train, the yellow strip sends a silent signal to Translink secuity where the red button telecom is used to talk to translink security

[JSALES]

that's brutal

[jeedee]

Luckily the dog was just injured and not killed

Hope it's nose recovers quickly
Posted via RS Mobile (http://www.revscene.net/forums/announcement.php?a=228)

[ra604]

just heard about this on the news...man wasn't there any people on the skytrain to help? the world we live in today....sigh*....

[Soundy]

Other than hitting an emergency stop (which some say there isn't one), what else COULD anyone do?

[phunky.FOB]

i just teared up a little! hope the dog is not that hurt after the recovery.. so sad..

[fliptuner]

They did a poll on 1130 about whether TransLink should cover the $15000 vet for the dog. Translink said they wouldn't pay but would implement better safety, should something like this happen again (who knows what that would cost).

My first though was, this kind of thing is a freak accident and the owner probably should've had better control of the dog. I don't think there was any negligence on TransLink's end and they shouldn't be held legally responsible BUT since they have such a shitty reputation, they should just pay the vet bill to gain a little public favour.

[Fafine]

^ the owner is blind.. what kind of control could she have had?

[b0unce. [?]]

They did a poll on 1130 about whether TransLink should cover the $15000 vet for the dog. Translink said they wouldn't pay but would implement better safety, should something like this happen again (who knows what that would cost).

My first though was, this kind of thing is a freak accident and the owner probably should've had better control of the dog. I don't think there was any negligence on TransLink's end and they shouldn't be held legally responsible BUT since they have such a shitty reputation, they should just pay the vet bill to gain a little public favour.

Yes and no, hard for me to say the owner could have done that much more imo. She's relying on the dog almost 100%. But then again, I'm not too sure what it's like to be blind.

But ya, I agree that translink shouldn't be held legally responsible for the incident.

[fliptuner]

^ the owner is blind.. what kind of control could she have had?

Any guide dog I've seen has a harness attached to a handle and possibly a second, conventional leash. She should've been holding the dog by the handle. You might not want to hear it but just because she's blind, doesn't mean she can't hang on to the dog.

[SolidPenguin]

They should put in emergency stop buttons like on the Canada Line, no?

[StylinRed]

translinks safety apparatus failed... its not like the dog was unleashed and walked out of the train... the leash is connected to her hand and it was stuck inbetween the doors.... the doors shouldn't have closed and the train shouldn't have moved if the safety implementations were working properly

translink is at fault.. they're trying to play it off as a "oh its just a dumb dog doing something stupid" but that's not the case.




when i took the skytrain as a kid there's a yellow strip that you press that stops the train no? did they remove that?

[penner2k]

I dont think there is anything they can do about this.. Think of how small the strap is... The rubber will just form around it.
I dont think Translink should be held responsible. But what could work out in their favor is to call up a couple of their advertisers and get each of them to cut a cheque for $7500. Then do a press release and straight up say they felt so bad about the whole situation that they worked with *insert company name here* and *insert company name here* to cover the cost of the vet bill.

When it comes down to it this is just a freak accident that nobody could have ever seen coming.

[geeknerd]

emergency button + unmanned skytrain = pelham 123

[AzNightmare]

just heard about this on the news...man wasn't there any people on the skytrain to help? the world we live in today....sigh*....

Are you stupid... did you even read the article?

when i took the skytrain as a kid there's a yellow strip that you press that stops the train no? did they remove that?


I believe that yellow strip has always been just a silent alarm to call for
translink staff, who will meet you at the next stop.

In any case, even if there was an emergency stop button, I doubt anyone
would have reacted fast enough. Natural reaction when you see something
like this would probably be to tell the blind owner that her dog was stuck
outside the train, rather than to think about an emergency stop button.
And there was probably less than 10 seconds to react from the time the doors
shut to when the dog got pulled into the pole.

[hotjoint]

poor dog, glad to hear that it's ok

[Rogue951]

Translink has a comittee of people with disabilities of all sorts who go around and test all the systems to see if things work out for them. How long has skytrain been around now and this has never happened?
They interviewed one of these blind comittee members and even he said he's never heard of a sight dog running off the train on it's own and he always keeps the dog within arms reach.

Let's also consider the thickness of a leash. It's relatively insignificant, so to say it should have triggered the door is unrealistic. (If the "H" bar handle caight that's a different matter) the dog ran next to the door as the train moved therefore no pressure on the door strip. If those door strips were any more sensitive or switched to a sonic/light barrier system just look at the new B-line buses. the rear doors are constantly cycling when the bus is packed cause people are standing right against the doors.

The yellow strip is just a silent alarm for an attendant/some form of assistance to respond at the next station. there is no way to bring the skytrain to a halt quickly in an emergency.
As stupid as kids are these days I can see a lot of trouble with that kind of button. Not that there shouldn't be one.

While I have sympathy for the owner, and even more for the dog, this is a case of either poor dog training or the owner not keeping track of their dog.
I think this should just be chalked up as a tragic accident.
If translink wishes to donate some money as a goodwill gesture even better.

[SolidPenguin]

As stupid as kids are these days I can see a lot of trouble with that kind of button. Not that there shouldn't be one.


They have them on the Canada Line, its a big red button near the door with a breakable piece of plastic covering it. There are also buttons on each station as well, in those panels where the emergency phone is etc.

[fliptuner]

Yup, totally agree.

As sad as people might be that this involved a blind lady and a guide dog, she has a responsiblity to control the dog and TransLink's safety system is adequate. It was an accident.

Like I said, TransLink should pay the vet bill and get some good publicity out of it - makes the best out of a bad situation.

[InvisibleSoul]

Watching the story, I just wondered why nobody hit the emergency stop. According to the story, it took until the dog hit the sensors on the track before it stopped.

Reading fail. The dog never hit the sensors, and the train never stopped until it reached the next station.

Hardie said there are automatic sensors that cause the train to stop if someone or something is on the tracks at the station but because the dog didn’t hit the tracks until just beyond the platform, they didn’t go off.

[SumAznGuy]

Reading fail. The dog never hit the sensors, and the train never stopped until it reached the next station.

That bothers me even more that no one was able to do anything on the train to get the train stopped before the next station.

I still think the blind lady could have done more to prevent this from happening, but at the same time I think all the passengers that were near the door fail too.

I think there is more to this story than the lady leads onto.

[subordinate]

Nvm

[Soundy]

Reading fail. The dog never hit the sensors, and the train never stopped until it reached the next station.

I was going by the story on last night's News Hour, where they said the train stopped when the dog hit the tracks.

[spoon.ek9]

:(

poor dog. makes me cringe just thinking what happened to it.

[babycake]

In one article I read this afternoon, apparently a crowd of people coming in or going out separated the lady and the guide dog. They got in the way. It was only when the lady realized that the door was closing and her dog was not beside her that she let go of the leash for safety reasons. Because of this, the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society is saying people need to be educated on how to behave around guide dogs and their owners and they need to stay their distance to prevent stuff like this from happening. Really sad situation.

[Soundy]

People also need to be better educated on proper boarding procedure. If you're getting on, LET PEOPLE GET OFF FIRST. (Not saying she didn't, but there always seems to be a mess of people trying to get on and off at the same time, and that causes problems too).

[sonick]

I tried to pull it out, didn't work.

Didn't you know pulling out doesn't work?

[taylor192]

^ the owner is blind.. what kind of control could she have had?
My mother used to train these dogs, they are supposed to stay at the owners side.

I am by no means blaming the blind woman or the dog or Translink. Maybe she tried pulling the leash to bring the dog back and the dog was unresponsive. Shit happens, this is just an unfortunate accident.

[taylor192]

In one article I read this afternoon, apparently a crowd of people coming in or going out separated the lady and the guide dog. They got in the way. It was only when the lady realized that the door was closing and her dog was not beside her that she let go of the leash for safety reasons. Because of this, the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society is saying people need to be educated on how to behave around guide dogs and their owners and they need to stay their distance to prevent stuff like this from happening. Really sad situation.

If that is what happened then people suck.

[Spectre_Cdn]

Update:

http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/125155--translink-doesn-t-plan-to-help-with-dragged-dog-s-vet-bills

TransLink doesn't plan to help with dragged dog's vet bills
Public donations cover the cost
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Public donations will cover vet bills after 'Palm' the guide dog was dragged along a SkyTrain platform. TransLink says it has no plans to help with the costs.

The dog was dragged at the Lougheed SkyTrain station platform in early October. Dr. Laurence Braun tells us the family will only have to worry about Palm's rehabilitation, because the public has really stepped up to help. "[There have] been donations from all over the world. So even without asking, the generosity has been heart-warming and amazing."

A blind woman was with Palm when the dog suddenly hopped off the train.

While TransLink says it has no plans to help financially, it says it will do its best to prevent a similar situation. In the meantime, Palm has stiff legs from trauma and bandages, but is recovering well from surgery.

Braun tells us "They're such a wonderful family, and she's such an amazing dog. They're very happy. I didn't see her (Palm) the last time I was there, but I know the surgeon was very happy."

[Soundy]

Unfortunately, as much of a good PR move it would be, TransLink is probably right in this. From their perspective, nothing was wrong with the system, and bucking up in this case would set a dangerous precedent: imagine if they did pay, and some idiot decided a good way to get some fast cash would be to get a dog, and leave it hanging out the door to get dragged the same way.

[Mr.HappySilp]

People also need to be better educated on proper boarding procedure. If you're getting on, LET PEOPLE GET OFF FIRST. (Not saying she didn't, but there always seems to be a mess of people trying to get on and off at the same time, and that causes problems too).

Not being a jerk but have u try to take the skytrain during rush hours? If you wait and be polite you will never get on. The ppl behind or around you would simply push and shovel their way. If only transitlink have more trains running during rush hours.........

[PuYang]

^yeah, i always let people off first, but certain times/stations, require you to be a bit more pushy.

i skytrain to VCC Clark station in the mornings. i get off at commercial drive so people behind me can get out (because thats where EVERYONE gets off at). sometimes i dont make it back in that train >;(

i know certain popular stations already leave doors open longer, but sometimes its still not long enough ;s

[Vinny G]

Not being a jerk but have u try to take the skytrain during rush hours? If you wait and be polite you will never get on. The ppl behind or around you would simply push and shovel their way. If only transitlink have more trains running during rush hours.........

Agreed. It's always the international students/fobs too. I work downtown and everytime I get to the skytrain station, it's every man for himself. When I first started working, I would try to be courteous and let people who have been there before me on first and try to catch the next train if the current one was getting full.

Now I realize there's no point in doing that because fobs start pouring into the stations, they'll walk right in front of you even if you've been standing at the same spot since the last train left regardless of how close you are to the edge. They'll push through everyone and everything to get into the train even if there's barely enough room to fit a book.. doesn't matter if they cause the doors to open and close for 5 minutes.

The worst is when people carry fucking bricks in their backpack or something and start spinning around. God damnit.

[lgman]

Agreed. It's always the international students/fobs too... The worst is when people carry fucking bricks in their backpack or something and start spinning around. God damnit.

+1 If you tell them their backpack is in your way they fucking ignore you and continue to yak on their cell phones.