SBS Transit Staff Saves Boy From Falling Off 5m-High Escalator
The saying “Not all heroes wear capes” is proven to be true yet again.
Case in point, Mr Mohamed Ferdaus Mohamed Yusoff, who is Senior Assistant Manager of Sixth Avenue MRT Station, saved a boy from falling down 5m down from an escalator.
It was all possible thanks to his quick thinking and selfless action during the incident.
SBS Staff saves boy with swift thinking
According to The Straits Times, Mr Ferdaus saw a young boy walking into the station with his mother on Tuesday (24 Sep).
A few seconds later, he heard a loud commotion and turned around to see the boy “hanging off the escalator with one arm and one leg dangling.”
He told The Straits Times that he immediately stopped what he was doing and rushed up the escalator. He recounted his worries during the incident,
I was just thinking to myself, ‘Please let me reach him in time’.
Luckily, he reached just in time and grabbed the boy’s hand to prevent him from falling down an estimated height of 5 metres.
Injured his knee during rescue
Mr Ferdaus then pulled the boy over the handrail to safety, and immediately pressed the emergency stop button on the escalator.
However, in the process of saving the boy, he shared that he injured his knee after losing balance and falling on the steps of the escalator.
He told The Straits Times,
I was just doing what I can. If it is to save a life, like in this case, I will save a life.
Timeline of incident
In a video interview with The Straits Times, Mr Ferdaus explained the timeline of the incident.
Everything started when he first saw the boy hanging off the side of the escalator.
He then ran up immediately, taking roughly 6 seconds to reach the boy.
Upon reaching the top of the escalator, Mr Ferdaus showed reporters how he grabbed the boy.
He also showed how he reached out to press the emergency button to stop the escalator.
Praises for his heroic actions
A witness of the noble act described the incident as “a scene out of a movie” .
While another witness said that everyone at the station was stunned and called Mr Ferdaus “heroic”.
Senior vice-president of SBS Transit’s corporate communications Tammy Tan said in a statement that if it weren’t for Mr Ferdaus’ quick actions, there may have been a terrible accident.
Mr Tan also said that SBS will be commending him for his heroic act.
Kudos to Mr Ferdaus for his bravery. Through this story, we should also note that whenever we are travelling with kids, we have to keep an eye on them to prevent incidents like this from happening.
Featured image adapted from The Straits Times and Ceramic Steel Alliance.
