War hero who was fatally crushed by two London Underground trains after falling into the gap has been named and pictured as his family has demanded Transport for London (TfL) ‘takes responsibility’ on the first day of a much delayed inquest into his death.
Father-of-10 Gama Mohamed Warsame, 59, from Tower Hamlets, ‘stumbled’ and fell between the platform and train at Waterloo Station on the Bakerloo line northbound platform at 10.06am on May 26, 2020.
Despite trying to escape and waving his hands for 20 seconds, he was crushed and dragged 16metres by the first train, and then crushed again by a second train which applied emergency brakes after a passenger on the platform alerted the driver.
A post-mortem examination revealed that the 59-year-old died of ‘catastrophic trauma’ to his brain, heart and lungs.
Yesterday, at the Inner South London Coroner’s Court, Mr Warsame’s daughter Samara Mohamed had her touching statement read onto the record before she answered questions.
She praised her ‘kind, loving and gentle’ father who was ‘a hero to his country’ – but she slammed TfL, saying ‘sadly in the last moments of his life he needed help and no one was there to help him’.
Father-of-10 Gama Mohamed Warsame, 59, from Tower Hamlets, ‘stumbled’ and fell between the platform and train at Waterloo Station on the Bakerloo line northbound platform at 10.06am on May 26, 2020
The 59-year-old was fatally crushed by two London Underground trains after falling into the gap between the carriage and the platform
The court heard how Mr Warsame fought in the Somalian civil war, during which he was tortured and had shrapnel injuries to his legs. He fled the country and was granted asylum in the UK where he had lived for 30 years at the time of his death.
Ms Mohamed added: ‘We believe our father’s death happened for some other reason than just an accident and changes need to happen to help someone else.
‘After all, he was a remarkable person and sometimes, something remarkable needs to happen to change the world.
‘We as a family want TfL and London Underground to take responsibility to increase awareness of what happens on their platforms.’
An investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) already found the operations monitors – which let drivers see issues on the platform – were ‘unsuitable for identifying a person fallen in the gap’ after investigators did a simulation test with a mannequin.
RAIB lead investigator Richard Brown admitted: ‘What the driver could see at the time is not recorded, so we don’t actually know.’
The court was shown stills of the simulation run which showed how difficult it was to see a passenger on the platform or in the gap.
Mr Brown explained the cameras did not meet the 1997 or 2000 ‘requirement for size of a person appearing on a monitor’. Though he did note the drivers were in good health, well rested, and had been tested for their eyesight.
The court heard how the curvature of the platform at Waterloo led to the gap Mr Warsame fell down, which at its smallest was 264mm wide. The depth of the fall was at most 580mm – thigh level according to Mr Brown, but he suggested Mr Warsame fell in a ‘prone position’ and may have been unable to move his legs and lever himself out.
Senior coroner Andrew Harrison still seemed baffled, stating: ‘It does seem surprising that someone could actually fit in that gap?’
Mr Brown also revealed the platform to be noisy. ‘You had to be quite close to people to have a normal conversation,’ he continued. ‘You needed to shout… If anyone was more than a carriage or two distance away they would struggle to hear you.’
The CCTV on the platform did not record sound, so it remains unclear if Mr Warsame called for help.
The court heard how his war efforts had left him with undiagnosed PTSD which caused him to self-medicate with alcohol, according to his family.
Ms Mohamed told the court he did not have a ‘drinking problem’, but it was ‘a social thing, ‘it was for the PTSD he had’.
A report from Mr Warsame’s GP revealed he had suffered from alcohol dependence until 2009, after which he came to the doctor with alcohol problems and was referred to dependence charity RESET.
In a report, pathologist Dr Simon Poole said: ‘Very high levels of alcohol in his blood and urine might have affected his co-ordination and balance and made him predisposed to falling.’
But speaking to the court, toxicologist Dr Susan Paterson went a step further to say the alcohol levels ‘probably would have’ made him ‘predisposed to falling’.
Mr Warsame’s blood alcohol levels were 300mg per litre which ‘is normally associated with a coma and possibly death’.
Dr Paterson explained he may have built up a tolerance and responded to questions from the family’s lawyer on how this might have influenced his fall. She added: ‘This is an extremely high level that would have affected anyone.’
In a tribute to her late father, daughter Ms Mohamed said: ‘He was a son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, and a hero to his country.
‘As a family we will never be able to come to explain what our father meant to his family and loved ones. Nothing we ever say will be able to do any justice to what he meant to us or others.
‘He was a remarkable person. He was the most selfless, generous, intelligent, all around great person you have ever known. He was easy to love and easy to connect with.
‘My father was a selfless person, and he also put himself before others. He was honourable, he was kind, he was so loving and gentle. He worked hard in everything he did. He told us to always be truthful. He was a man of his word and always put others before himself.
‘He was a hero to us and his family, he was also a hero of his nation. He was a brave man. He was nicknamed ‘Lion’ – imagine being nicknamed a lion at the age of 10.
‘He showed mercy and love to all living beings. He also saw good in people. He never used to hold a grudge. He was the definition of a strong person and survivor.’