Some jobs require professionals to have really quick reflexes and response times. A trauma surgeon or a firefighter has to respond to emergencies by promptly taking decisions that may be a matter of life and death. In the past, many such brave men and women have averted potential tragedies from happening like the Noida cop who retrieved two highly flammable LPG gas cylinders from within a burning home.
According to Mumbai Mirror, on 14 October, train drivers Uttam Barua and D.D Kumar who were on the passenger train between Nagrakata and Chalsa in West Bengal spotted an elephant on the tracks. Their alertness prevented an accident as they applied the emergency brake.
Today morning at 8.30 hrs, #AlertCrew of 55726 Dn Sri Uttam Barua & D.D.Kumar suddenly noticed that a Wild Elephant was walking along the track at Km 71/7 betn NKB- CLD & stopped train immediately with Emergency brake. @RailNf @wti_org_india @RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/EkSFEW9KGe
— DRM APDJ (@drm_apdj) October 14, 2019
The incident was shared by the Divisional Railway Manager of the Alipurduar Division, Northeast Frontier Railway on Twitter. Pune Mirror reports that another crew (A.K.Nandi & V.K.Singh) on the same train line showed their keen presence of mind when two elephants were crossing the tracks on August 8.
People were glad that there were no casualties and urged the authorities to reward the locomotive crew.
When the rail lines are built from animal habitat it becomes responsibility and duty of rail personnel to safe guard the life of birds and animals.
— Franky (@Franky38693140) October 14, 2019
The Loco Pilot must be rewarded for being alert and saving the life of that elephant.
— the_millennial (@kunal_kaklij) October 14, 2019
https://twitter.com/jl3ague/status/1184248548830789633
Great effort reward him this Diwali
— Nitesh (@tesh123456) October 15, 2019
Thank you 🙏🏽
— Tawa Roti (@dhiskao) October 15, 2019
Unfortunately, not all such accidents are successfully averted. The Times of India reports that in September, a wild elephant sustained severe injuries after being hit by a passenger train traveling to Dhubri. We hope that officials take adequate redressal measures especially in parts where tracks run through forests.