'Man had a fit and fell on to train tracks'

A MAN was killed when he fell onto the tracks at Twickenham station after suffering what appeared to be an epileptic fit.

The man, who is believed to be 33 and from Twickenham, died at the scene after tumbling onto the line in front of shocked passengers at the height of the rush hour last Friday (July 23).

A British Transport Police spokeswoman said officers and ambulance staff attended the incident shortly after 6.25pm and the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

She added that the incident was being treated as non-suspicious and a file was being prepared for the coroner. The man had yet to be named.

Julie Hill, who lives in nearby Sherland Road, said she had seen 'traumatised' passengers pouring out of the station after the incident.

"One lady said the man appeared to have a fit and tumbled onto the live track," she said. "Apparently there was a train coming and the passengers were frantically waving, trying to get the driver to stop. The lady I spoke to was very distressed and a lot of people I saw seemed to be very disturbed, as you can imagine."

One witness, writing on an online forum, said: "I've not thought about anything else since Friday. The man fell right in front of me and I feel very sad and helpless that I could not do anything more to help him.

"It's been playing over in my mind again and again. I've been to see my GP and I would urge anyone who is experiencing the same thoughts/emotions to book in to see their GP asap. I felt it really helped to talk about it now rather than dealing with it later. My thoughts are with the poor man's family and friends."

Another passenger wrote: "I was unfortunate enough to witness this. I ran up the platform and hit the emergency button at the bottom of the steps. It seemed ages before anyone responded although it was probably only a few seconds. The ambulance service and police arrived very quickly on the scene but there was nothing they could do."

The man's death came just hours after a 22-year-old student was hit by a 267 bus in London Road, Twickenham.

A London Ambulance Service spokeswoman confirmed the man was taken to Charing Cross Hospital with head and leg injuries following the incident at about 3am.