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The Moorgate Tube Crash
🕑 Added 2022-07-26 10:15:00 +0000 UTCThe rescue operation for this accident was incredibly difficult... with lots of unpredictable factors making things more complicated. Here are a few that I couldn't quite fit in the video.
Firstly: the temperature. Not only was it a stiflingly hot scene, but that high temperature made any nick or cut sustained a lot more risky, as infections would incubate much faster. Any cut or graze (no matter how small) had to be reported... and would require tetanus shots or the removal of that rescuer from the scene.
Secondly: communications. With the site deep underground, radios didn't always work, and so rescuers had to rely on runners to deliver messages to their colleagues above ground. This came with its own difficulties. In one famous case, a doctor requested more Entonox (a painkilling gas), but by the time the message got above ground it had transformed into a request for an "empty box".
And finally: the bomb scare. In the middle of an already-difficult rescue operation, an unknown person decided to make things way more difficult by phoning in a hoax bomb scare, forcing crews to flee the scene. Needless to say, there was no bomb... but the hoax, coming when it did, had the potential to be every bit as harmful as one for the few survivors still waiting to be rescued.
Comments
Fascinating Horror
That does seem like the most likely cause. I've read a few accounts online of what these seizures are like to witness, but hadn't found a first-hand description of the actual experience - thanks for sharing your perspective. It's very interesting and, as you say, might well be the root cause of the disaster in this case.
Sandra OShields
On Curiosity Stream, there's a series called "What Went Wrong" with an episode on the Grenfell Tower.
Michael Rutherford
I'd like to see a video about the Grenfell Tower fire
Amy Frushour Kelly
Very interesting! And sad, of course. Of personal interest or me: hearing of Mr. Newson’s appearance just before the impact, the idea of the driver experiencing an absence seizure or partial seizure immediately leaped to mind. I have epilepsy and have experienced precisely this sort of seizure. Essentially, the person stops everything to do with consciousness for the duration of the seizure. They typically last (for me) about 30 seconds, but I’ve heard of them lasting up to 2-3 minutes. Afterward, there is no recollection of the seizure; it’s like a mini-blackout. These days, this type of seizure would prevent the individual from driving any type of vehicle until they had been six months seizure-free (at least in the U.S.). However, if Mr. Newson had a seizure, and this was only the first or second he’d experienced, he may not have been aware of his condition at all. We’ll never be able to confirm it, but it seems likely. As always, a fascinating dissection of a tragedy and the resulting changes to the system. Well done!
