Sydney teenager allegedly climbs onto the outside of a Tangara train. Then emergency workers find him: ‘Don’t mess or play with a 400-tonne train’

Train surfing seems to be the likely cause of injuries suffered by a 17-year-old boy who was found on the tracks by emergency workers on Thursday, November 12, in Sydney, according to The Guardian.

New South Wales (NSW) police said that the boy is in critical condition after he fell from the outside of a train on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Emergency services received calls claiming that somebody fell from a northbound train onto the bridge’s tracks, which led to a rescue operation that required the skills of multiple agencies.

The teen was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital for treatment

Because of the location where the boy fell, EMS workers faced difficulties getting him from the tracks to the road, where he could then be transported to the hospital by ambulance. The paramedics, after providing immediate care, carried him to safety so that he could be transported for care at the hospital, where he appears to remain in critical condition with injuries to his head, chest, and pelvis.

Luke Barrett, a police transport command inspector, said, “Initial inquiries and review of CCTV [footage] and speaking to witnesses that were on board the service indicate the male person was riding on the outside of the train in an activity which is commonly referred to as ‘buffer riding’.”

Buffer riding is the practice of hanging onto the back of a train to ride it, and The Independent made a video about why authorities are cracking down on this activity. However, Barrett mentioned in his statement that incidents of train surfing had been increasing.

Trains can be great, and they can be dangerous

One of the biggest reasons you shouldn’t trespass on tracks is because trains can’t stop quickly. According to Operation Lifesaver, “It takes the average freight train traveling 55 mph more than a mile—the length of 18 football fields—to stop.”

Barrett also spoke about the importance of being safe around trains. “This is highly dangerous; it carries an extreme level of risk, and the consequences, should something go wrong, which has happened here today, can result in very serious injuries or possible death.”

The chief executive of Sydney Trains spoke about a different incident where a 13-year-old boy fell from a train, saying, “You just don’t mess or play with a 400-tonne train.”

In the case of the 17-year-old who’s recovering, he was allegedly luckier than he could have been. He wasn’t pinned under the train when he fell, which made getting to him to administer care and take him to safety an easier task.

The problem, apparently, is that videos of train surfing on social media tend to be a way of encouraging others, intentionally or not, to also attempt the act for social media. As one teenager learned, this can result in critical injuries and possibly death.

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