Woman in MRT mishap gets arm back

MANILA, Philippines — Doctors successfully reattached yesterday the severed right arm of a female passenger of the Metro Rail Transit 3 after an accident at an MRT station in Makati last Tuesday afternoon, according to an official of the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

Cesar Chavez, DOTr undersecretary for railways, said the right arm of Angeline Fernando, 24, of Pasay City, was reattached by surgeons of the Makati Medical Center.

Fernando is now in good condition but is still under observation until Friday. 

“Angeline’s arm is reconnected to her body. The bone, the nerve and vessels are reconnected,” Chavez told reporters.

Fernando, 24, a software engineer of Makati-based information technology firm iScale Solutions, lost her right arm at the MRT-3 Ayala station in Makati City around 2:30 p.m. last Tuesday.

Chavez said Fernando boarded the train at the Taft Ave. station in Pasay City on her way to work and she had just alighted from the northbound train when she felt dizzy and fell onto the tracks.

He said Fernando was caught between the first and second cars of the train and lost her right arm that was caught in the train’s coupler that links the ftwo cars.

Chavez said the train was already about to leave the Ayala station when the woman fell to the tracks.

The DOTr official said the operator of the train that hit Fernando was not aware of what happened until he received reports from his co-workers.  

Quoting Fernando’s parents, Chavez said they are thankful because there was a commuter who happened to be a doctor, Dr. Charlie Jandic, who assisted Fernandez when the accident happened; that only her hand was hit by the train and not her body, and that her arm was successfully reattached. 

Jandic, a medical intern of the Chinese General Hospital, said security personnel of the Ayala station were quick responders, contrary to critics’ accounts.

The doctor was praised for her actions, but Jandic downplayed her role. “The way I see it, anyone with appropriate medical training would have done the same in the same situation,” Jandic explained. 

Chavez said the MRT-3 would shoulder Fernando’s hospital expenses using its P60-million insurance fund from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and will tap other government agencies if necessary. 

He said that they will deploy three more security gurads at MRT stations for the safety of commuters as he urged those who need special care to ask assistance from the security guards for their safety. 

Chavez said the DOTr sees no urgent need to install safety barriers at the MRT stations that would prevent commuters from falling onto the tracks. 

He said that officials are studying to put up safety barriers, but this will take time because of the current structure of the stations. 

Meanwhile, Sen. Grace Poe called on the DOTr yesterday to work faster in addressing the problems faced by the MRT-3 system if it is really sincere in providing better service.

Poe said that while many of the problems of the system were inherited from the previous administration, the DOTr is responsible for the current operation of the MRT-3, including its safety.

“While many of the woes began with the past administration, the current problems are now in the hands of the DOTr. If they are earnest and sincere in addressing these problems, then they should work faster on bettering our train system,” Poe said.

As chair of the Senate committee on public services, Poe said the accident involving Fernando was unfortunate but could have been prevented had the DOTr provided a passenger railing.

While it is still looking for a maintenance service provider for the MRT-3, Poe said that the DOTr should focus on the overall safety of the system, which could impact a huge number of people in the event of a serious technical glitch.

“In reality, the riding public faces so many of the MRT’s structural and technical time bombs that put in serious doubt the DOTr’s assurance that it is still safe to ride these trains,” Poe said. With Marvin Sy