Passenger forced to climb over bodies

Part of the wreckage at the Paddington rail crash

A survivor at the Paddington rail crash had to climb over bodies to escape the twisted wreckage, the inquiry has heard.

Peter Palmer, who was travelling in the Great Western express, broke down in tears as he recalled the events at the inquiry into the accident.

Another passenger, Wayne Levy, who did not realise he was suffering from a fractured hip, told how he managed to pull a colleague free of the debris on the Thames train.

His foot was completely at right angles

Wayne Levy

31 people died in the collision between the Thames train and the London-bound Great Western express near Ladbroke Grove on 5 October, 1999.

Mr Palmer, who lives near Cheltenham, told the inquiry: "I passed what used to be a luggage rack, thinking 'Can I help by pulling anybody out?' - but they were actually buried under rubble and the carriage was on fire behind me."

Mr Levy had started work the day before the crash as a clerical officer with Thames Trains.

He recalled how he met a colleague, Michael Rafferty, at Paddington station and they were to travel together to an induction course in Reading.

'Dozing in carriage'

Mr Levy said he was dozing while Mr Rafferty read his newspaper in the minutes before the collision.

The crash threw him back into his seat and Mr Levy heard his colleague shouting 'Wayne, Wayne, look at my foot'.

"His foot was completely at right angles, it was obviously broken. I managed to get most of the chairs and debris off him and hoisted him up on to his feet.

"I got my arm underneath him and then we jumped out of the train down onto the track."

Mr Levy earlier told the inquiry how the entire left side of the carriage in which he and his colleague were sitting had been ripped away.

He had fractured his hip but did not realise the seriousness of his injury as he was covered in diesel fuel and was concentrating on escaping from the carriage.