Unable to take off the coat, he found himself trapped as the train set off. He was pulled along the platform as the train gathered speed, being ‘tossed around like a rag doll.’ Then he was sucked into the gap between the train and the platform and ended up on the train track, with the train hurtling by above him.
Despite the danger, David felt strangely
calm. To maximise his chances of survival he pushed himself as far down
into the track as he could. The final carriage of the train passed over
him and he felt a surge of joy that he had survived, although now he
felt intense pain. He noticed that the left sleeve of his coat had been
ripped to shreds and then that his arm had been severed from the elbow
down. As he says, ‘Everything unfolded in a slow dream-like way…I felt
an unearthly, absolute sense of calmness.’