National Rail Awards - Life Saver Awards

Vincent O’Brien, Train Presentation Operative, Northern 

Since joining Northern in January 2018, Vincent O’Brien has been based at Barrow depot.

On March 21 2022, while Vincent was carrying out train cleaning duties at Southport, the station’s Merseyrail manager was advised of an incident in the female toilets.

On arrival at the scene, he found Vincent already in attendance, administering first aid to a young lady who had sadly attempted to take her own life.

Vincent worked with Merseyrail staff to keep the female calm, while they administered what treatment they could before the paramedics arrived.

She was then taken to hospital to receive further medical and mental health treatment.

Vincent was commended for remaining calm, confident, and “handling the situation impeccably in a very tragic environment”.

The Merseyrail manager added: “A simple thank you to Vincent seems inappropriate for all his dedication and good humour during this incident. I’m sure Northern is as proud to employ this exceptional individual as I am to know him.”

Lucy Hayden and Matt Doyle, Customer Host and Revenue Protection Inspector, GWR 

When a passenger pulled a woman away from the platform edge as a train was arriving at Worle station, little could Lucy Hayden and Matt Doyle have known what chain of events would follow.

They stayed with the female in a platform shelter for more than 30 minutes, while emergency services were called, before events then took another terrible twist.

The female unexpectedly slid off the seat and collapsed on the floor, foaming from the mouth.

Matt, who was on a rest day but had gone to the station to meet his girlfriend, helped Lucy to move the female into the recovery position, so that she wouldn’t choke.

After the woman’s body became limp and her eyes rolled into the back of her head, Doyle sprinted to fetch a defibrillator.

The duo then made steps to use it before paramedics arrived and were able to revive the female from what was later established to be a drugs overdose.