Distraught Crawley mum stranded as train takes off with her children

Jasmine Andrews, from Crawley, was travelling to see a friend in Littlehaven when the ‘nightmare’ incident happened.

She said: “The train has pulled up. I got my nine-year-old to hold my one-year-old on the train.”

Jasmine went to put the buggy, with 11 week old Aurora in it, onto the Thameslink train but the doors began to close..

She added: “They were literally inches away from crushing the buggy. I had no option but to pull the buggy out.”

Jasmine said she tried to reopen the doors but was unable to, leaving her stranded with her 11-week-old baby on the platform with two of her children on the train.

She added: “Every time I think about it I just want to cry.

“It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. All I can picture was the look in my daughter’s eyes.

“People round me heard me screaming that my children were on the train on their own.”

Jasmine sought the help of station staff. She said one worker drove to Ifield to try and intercept the train.

She added: “I had to wait 40 minutes... to find out whether they were still on the train. [Then] we got a phone call from Littlehaven.”

A good samaritan had looked after Thia, aged nine, and Noah, one, and called station staff when she and the children departed at Littlehaven.

Danielle Henley, a teacher at Orchard Junior School in Worthing, helped out the youngsters in their hour of need.

She said: “I could just hear screaming from behind me. This little girl shouting mummy.

“Her mum was frantically trying to press the button to get the door open.”

Danielle added that her and another lady went over to try and calm the children down.

She said: “They were hysterical to begin with. It was not nice hearing the children in such a state.

“I managed to calm them down and they stopped crying.

“[We] told them not to worry, said we would stay with them until we found their mum.

“I asked the little girl where she was going. I had to wait with them while the next train came.”

Jasmine added: “I can’t thank her enough. It does not bear thinking about what could have happened if she was not there.

“My daughter said that she was so good and so lovely. Every time my daughter cried she would give her a hug and reassure her.

“When I got reunited I was so upset, my daughter was so upset, I was blown away by it all. I have found her [the good Samaritan], I said a big thank you.”

Danielle said: “She was just thankful - still very emotional. It was just lucky I could help.”

But Jasmine said Thia is yet to get over the ordeal.

She added: “My daughter is still struggling to sleep at night. It was extremely distressing.

“I’m only so thankful that my nine year old was with my one-year-old. I still feel quite emotional about it now.”

A Govia Thameslink Railway spokeswoman said: “We appreciate the distress this mother and her children must have felt as a result of the separation they experienced and we are investigating this incident.”