[nagdu] Guide dog dragged from SkyTrain sufferedserious injuries

Mon Oct 4 16:38:15 UTC 2010

Steve and Mark,

Yes, it's hard to imagine how such a thing could happen in the first
place...  Only now that I'm over my shock and horror, I can't stop scenario
building.  Crowds and trains and trying to get ready to get off the train at
the right place when a whole lot of other people are doing the same thing...
Well, it's suddenly much too easy to realize that it could happen to us at
just the wrong split second...  Mitzi taking me off the train just as
someone bumps me or catches my purse or backpack or something...  Well, now
to get on to prevention and safety planning and paying more attention to
what I do when I'm getting off and on the bus.  Or elevators. Or...  

You're right that we don't know exactly what happened to separate the dog
from his handler in the first place.  Was it a freak accident that couldn't
be planned for?  One of those handling lapses or loose habits that turned to
tragedy?  Malice or negligence of another passenger?

My heart goes out to the woman and her dog, either way.  I'm glad people
stepped in to help and that the dog will live and physically recover.  The
shock and trauma will take a whole lot longer to heal.

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Steve Johnson
Sent: Monday, October 04, 2010 5:22 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Guide dog dragged from SkyTrain sufferedserious
injuries

Mark, good point..  If this individual is experienced in using this system,
they should have known.  When in a crowded situation like this, I generally
to short leash and keep my guide by my side.  Sounds that there is a
possibility that the handler was not fully aware of her dog's where-abouts.
Indeed though as Cheryl pointed, it is too bad, but the underlying question
is whose responsibility did it fall back on; SkyTrain or the handler?
Probably not enough information to make that call as we can only make
assumptions based on the little information we have.
Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Mark J. Cadigan
Sent: Monday, October 04, 2010 7:13 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Guide dog dragged from SkyTrain suffered serious
injuries

My question is, why did the dog get off? If that train system is anything
like the T it is probably extremely crowded and, people push and shuv to try
to get off. The dog very well could have gotten pushed off the train by
mistake.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ginger Kutsch" <gingerKutsch at yahoo.com>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, October 04, 2010 7:00 AM
Subject: [nagdu] Guide dog dragged from SkyTrain suffered serious injuries

> Guide dog dragged from SkyTrain suffered 'serious injuries'
> Passengers on the platform jumped into the track to rescue the
> dog
> By Tiffany Crawford, Vancouver Sun October 3, 2010
> http://tinyurl.com/277d3uj
>
>
> Iris Thompson's guide dog, Palm, in recovery. The 5-year-old
> labrador had a shattered nose, cracked ribs, and a punctured lung
> after being dragged by a moving SkyTrain at Lougheed Station on
> Thursday. People on the platform watched in horror after the
> doors closed on the dog's leash, and the dog was dragged into a
> pole at the end of the platform. Palm then fell into the tracks.
>
> Photograph by: Screengrab, Global BCA 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.
> ticrawford at vancouversun.com
> - - -
>
>
>
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