David Blunkett has spoken of his “terror and excruciating pain” after he fell through a London Underground platform gap with his guide dog.
The blind former home secretary told how he had been getting on a District Line train with his guide dog, Barley, when he suddenly “dissappeared” on the rush hour platform.
Writing in The Sun on Sunday, Lord Blunkett said: “As I took a step to get onto the tube train I suddenly felt both my feet disappearing down the gap.
“In an instant my body had been propelled forward into the carriage and I was face down on the floor.
“My legs had somehow been scraped out of the gap and into the carriage.”
The former Labour minister under Tony Blair is now pushing Transport For London for changes to make the tube network safer for the visually impared.
He is calling for TfL to make efforts to fill the widest gaps on platforms and make sure there is always someone there to help, especially during rush hour.
He said: “Some of our platforms are death traps. The gap between the walkway and train is huge and they are unsafe for everyone, but particularly for blind people.
“How many others have fallen and been seriously injured because of the gap? It is not good enough to simply say ‘mind the gap’ and not give any help. We need action now to avoid preventable injury or worse.”
Lord Blunkett said X-rays confirmed “extraordinary bruising but not a broken leg”. He will soon meet TfL to ask for answers and an urgent review into the safety of the busiest tube stations.
Nick Dent, London Underground’s director of customer operations, said: “We were extremely sorry that Lord Blunkett was injured on our network.
“We have written to, and will be meeting with him to discuss how we could have managed the incident better and to ensure that lessons are learned.
“The safety of our customers and staff is at the forefront of everything we do, and while injuries like the one experienced by Lord Blunkett are rare, we are undertaking a huge range of work aimed at eradicating such incidents and making travelling even safer for everyone.”
