Dad-of-10 run over by two Tube trains and crushed to death after stumbling into gap between carriage and platform | The Sun

A "HERO" dad-of-10 was crushed to death by two Tube trains after he stumbled off a busy platform and got stuck.

Gama Mohamed Warsame, who was praised as a war hero by his beloved family, was run over twice at Waterloo Station when the drivers failed to spot him after he slipped when drunk.

A pathologist told the Inner South London Coroner's Court on Tuesday September 20 that the 59-year-old had a blood alcohol level which she said: "Is normally associated with a coma and possibly death."

The court heard how the victim tried to escape and continued waving his arms signalling for help for nearly half a minute but was hit by a train moments later.

Mr Warsame's daughter Samara Mohamed said: "Sadly in the last moments of his life, he needed help and no-one was there to help him."

A second train also crushed Mr Warsame 85 seconds after the first one.

The driver was alerted by a passenger on the platform rather than the train's own monitoring equipment and so the emergency brake was not pulled in time.

Samara and her family slammed Transport for London (TfL) at the inquest and demanded they take responsibility.

The grieving daughter added: "We believe our father's death happened for some other reason than just an accident and changes need to happen to help someone else.

"After all, he was a remarkable person and sometimes, something remarkable needs to happen to change the world. We as a family want TfL and London Underground to take responsibility to increase awareness of what happens on their platforms."

An investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) already found the operations monitors – which let drivers see issues on the platform – were 'unsuitable for identifying a person fallen in the gap' after investigators did a simulation test with a mannequin.

RAIB lead investigator Richard Brown admitted to the court: "What the driver could see at the time is not recorded, so we don't actually know."

Those who attended the inquest were shown a simulation of the accident and saw how difficult it would have been to see a passenger on the platform or in the gap.

Mr Brown confirmed the cameras did not meet the requirement for being able to spot a person on the monitor.

The gap that Mr Warsame tragically fell down was due to a curvature in the platform, the inquest revealed.

At its deepest point, the space was only 580mm, which is around thigh level, and at it's smallest 254mm wide, according to Mr Brown.

Senior Coroner Andrew Harrison still seemed baffled, and stated: "It does seem surprising that someone could actually fit in that gap?"

The investigator claimed due to noise levels on the platform at the time it would have been difficult to hear someone shouting.

He said: "You needed to shout… If anyone was more than a carriage or two distance away they would struggle to hear you." 

CCTV footage at the station did not record sound and so it remained unclear if the victim did shout for help.

In a report, pathologist Dr Simon Poole said: "Very high levels of alcohol in his blood and urine might have affected his co-ordination and balance and made him predisposed to falling."

Toxicologist Dr Susan Paterson told the court the alcohol levels 'probably would have' made him 'predisposed to falling'.

Mr Warsame's blood alcohol levels were 300mg per litre which "is normally associated with a coma and possibly death," Dr Paterson explained.

Dr Paterson claimed the victim may have built up a tolerance and responded to questions from the family's lawyer on how this might have influenced his fall.

This is an extremely high level that would have affected anyone."

The court were told Mr Warsame suffered from undiagnosed PTSD after fighting in the Somalian civil war, according to his family.

He had been tortured and lived with shrapnel injuries to his legs, which led to him being granted asylum in the UK.

Mr Warsame had lived in the UK for 30 years before his death, on May 26 2020 just after 10am.

His family indicated to the court their father's mental health led him to self-medicate using alcohol but that he did not have a drinking problem.

A report from Mr Warsame's GP revealed he had suffered from alcohol dependence until 2009, after which he came to the doctor with alcohol problems and was referred to dependence charity RESET.

In a tribute to her late dad,Samara said: "He was a son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, and a hero to his country. Because as a family we will never be able to come to explain what our father meant to his family and loved ones. Nothing we ever say will be able to do any justice to what he meant to us or others.

He was a remarkable person. He was the most selfless, generous, intelligent, all around great person you have ever known. He was easy to love and easy to connect with."

"My father was a selfless person, and he also put himself before others. He was honourable, he was kind, he was so loving and gentle. He worked hard in everything he did. He told us to always be truthful.

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"He was a man of his word and always put others before himself. He was a hero to us and his family, he was also a hero of his nation. He was a brave man.

"He was nicknamed 'Lion' – imagine being nicknamed a lion at the age of 10. He showed mercy and love to all living beings, he also saw good in people, he never used to hold a grudge. He was the definition of a strong person and survivor."

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