Bedford train crash hero doctor says 'aftermath was like a war zone'

Seconds after a terrifying train crash, which killed the driver and left 162 injured, passenger Eleanor Prior could only hear an eerie silence. The GP and mum of two was sitting in the front carriage of the train, on her way to a friend’s 40th birthday in London, when it ploughed into a stationary train at around 50mph near Bedford in June.

The force of the impact threw Dr Eleanor, known as Eli, around eight metres down the aisle, leaving her with multiple injuries. She says: “I remember seeing smoke and it was very quiet, with everything happening in slow motion. There was smashed glass and blood everywhere. It was like a war zone.

“I rang 999 and yelled, ‘Bring everything, there’s been a train crash’. That’s when the noise started, the crying and screaming.”

Eli dragged herself towards the doors as everyone tried to escape the smoke-filled carriage, but she realised that she had to stay and help the wounded.

She was one of the first to call 999, then worked alongside emergency services to triage passengers and even refused an ambulance for herself, insisting it went to someone else.

The 41-year-old, from Bedford, will win a Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Award at our star-studded celebration, which honours the nation's unsung heroes. She will receive a Special Recognition award at the event in partnership with P&O Cruises, in honour of her selfless, lifesaving action, despite her own injuries.

It was June 19th when Eli, who lives with husband Chris and daughters Annie, four, and Lottie, three, left for her evening out. Speaking for the first time, Eli says: “I was meeting three of my best friends. The ticket officer suggested I get the next train as it was busy, but I didn’t want to be late.”

Eli then chose a seat with nothing opposite, a last-minute decision she calls “a miracle” that saved her from worse injuries.

She recalls: “I was typing on my phone. The next thing I’d travelled about eight metres. I’m not sure if I lost consciousness, but I hit my head. As I came to, my phone was somehow still in my hand. It was strangely quiet. I stumbled back to the doors.

“I called 999. They kept asking what service I wanted and I was just shouting, ‘F***ing everything, bring everything!’ I called Chris and said, ‘I’ve been in a train crash’.

“I remember feeling like I was going to pass out. I think I was hyperventilating. There was a girl who was shell shocked and we were just staring at each other.

“Then two men managed to force open the doors. People started getting off the train if they could, crossing the track to the field. I remember thinking I should get off. Then I turned around and saw a woman lying on the floor. I thought, ‘God, no, I can’t get off the train. Look at these people.’”

Chris, 40, a teacher, vividly remembers that first phone call. He says: “As soon as you hear ‘train crash’, you think, ‘That’s hugely destructive’. She was sobbing, then she had to go.

“When she next called I could hear wailing and screaming in the background. She was frantic. I thought ‘Oh my God, is she going to die? Are there dead people on the train? What is happening?’