A taxi driver has been praised for rescuing three young children who were stranded on a railway platform after their mum was stuck on a train as it left the station.
Nana Akua Boakyewaa was on her way home to Telford after a day out in Birmingham with her children when the family became separated at Telford Central railway station.
She was left trapped on the train when the doors closed as she tried to manoeuvre her double pushchair on to the platform and could only watch helplessly as the three youngsters – aged two, five and nine – were left behind as the train pulled away.
Distressed, she had to wait until the next stop at Wellington where a Good Samaritan saw she was upset and drove her back to Telford.
But she told the Shropshire Star that she became terrified when she got to the platform and her children were nowhere to be seen.
Police were immediately called and reviewed CCTV which showed a kind-hearted taxi driver had seen the family become separated and went to help the children. He drove them straight to their home where they waited with neighbours until they were reunited with their relieved mum.
Nana said: “I want to say is a big thank you to all the lovely people I met at the train station who called the police, encouraging me to calm down and went the extra mile to look for my children.
“They all felt like a family as they stayed through with me to the end.
“Thanks to the lovely paramedic guy who left all that he was doing even though he was off duty and helped calmed me down telling me my kids will be found.
“A big thank you to the all the policemen who went out of their way to be there for me and my children and finally a big thank you to the gentleman whom till now, I don’t know, but took my kids to my house, dropped them at my neighbours and made sure they were safe enough.”
Police also praised the actions of the taxi driver, whose quick thinking helped reunite Nana with her children.
Inspector Richard Jones told Taxi Point: “This was a highly distressing case for the family involved, and I can’t thank the public and our officers enough for their quick thinking and response to ensure they were reunited swiftly and safely.
“I want to pay special thanks to the taxi driver, who dropped everything to put the children’s safety first and helped them get home. Thanks must also go to the man who helped their mother get back to Telford Central and stayed with her whilst we checked CCTV and carried out searches of the area.
“What initially came in to us as very worrying incident had a very happy ending, which is thanks to the quick thinking members of the public who did everything they could to help this family in need.”
The taxi driver deserves all the praise being heaped on him. He managed to reassure the children in what must have been an upsetting situation for them and made sure they were safe and could be reunited with their mum.
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