‘I can’t even sit up in bed’: Woman struck by GO Train on her long road to recovery

A period aft being deed by a GO Train astatine Long Branch presumption successful Etobicoke, a 46-year-old parent of 2 remains successful hospital.

Manal Srouji considers herself a cautious idiosyncratic who routinely uses nationalist proscription to get from location to work. Then, the greeting of Sept. 17, her beingness changed.

Police accidental astatine astir 8:15 a.m., a pistillate was struck by a GO Train and transported to infirmary with life-threatening injuries. Authorities accidental the pistillate had been walking adjacent the borderline of the level erstwhile she was hit.

Srouji remains bedridden and says the continued enactment of her sons and the assemblage has been instrumental successful keeping her going.

“I’m overwhelmed, not conscionable by the enactment that I’m seeing from loved ones, but adjacent members of the assemblage I don’t adjacent know,” she told Global News Thursday. “The response, the absorption from radical — it’s conscionable a lot.”

She says she’s been told by her lad that her backpack got caught connected a passing explicit bid astatine the station, but fewer details person been released astir what transpired connected the level astatine Long Branch GO Station.

A large operation task has been underway astatine the presumption since past year, arsenic portion of the GO Expansion program.

Srouji says she has nary recollection of the time she was struck, but adds she would similar to spot much information measures implemented to support riders.

“September is erstwhile everybody comes back,” she said. “More kids to school, a batch of radical came backmost to enactment successful idiosyncratic aft that, truthful there’s a batch much radical connected the platforms.”

She isn’t unsocial successful voicing interest astir crowding connected the platform. Several different transit users Global News spoke with past period voiced akin opinions and wanted to spot the contented addressed.

“I made friends with passengers that came to sojourn maine that archer maine however they perceive young kids wondering what happened to that woman that got injured successful the accident. You know, I’m thankful, but I’m besides concerned.”

She besides worries for those who witnessed what happened to her.

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With superior injuries to respective parts of her body, including her legs and pelvis, Srouji has a lengthy betterment travel up of her.

An probe was launched by Toronto constabulary pursuing the incident. A spokesperson tells Global News nary charges person been laid.

“I can’t move. I can’t adjacent beryllium up successful bed,” she explained. “So, I conscionable commune that I person the patience, you know?”

Metrolinx tells Global News an interior probe is conducted anytime an incidental occurs connected the obstruction network, and that process is presently underway.

“Additional information measures are ever enactment successful spot during construction. At Long Branch, we person reduced speeds for passing trains, deployed further staff,” an email connection reads successful part.

However, Srouji says she would similar to spot much solutions beyond unit supervision and information messaging.

“They’re expected to beryllium information measures, but they’re besides human. And placing a quality to beryllium your information measurement is not ever applicable erstwhile we’re talking astir this benignant of danger.”

A tribunal and lawsuit representative, she is determined to instrumentality to her occupation and her life. In the meantime, a co-worker has launched a GoFundMe run to assistance enactment her done her recovery.