From the Wreckage, a Story of a Hero Emerges

The Jakarta Globe, December 11, 2013.


A 20-year-old train technician has emerged as a tragic hero in Monday’s deadly commuter train accident after several female passengers credited the man’s warnings moments before the collision with saving their lives.

Sofyan Hadi was riding in the train’s engine when he saw an idling Pertamina tanker truck straddling the tracks in Bintaro, South Tangerang. The technician sprinted to the closest cabin — a women’s-only train — and told everyone to seek safety in the back of the car, according to eyewitness reports. When Sofyan returned to the driver’s compartment, the engine collided with the tanker truck in a deadly fireball, killing everyone inside.

The 20 year old died in the accident, but his actions, the man’s cousin said, saved the lives of others.

“He saved many lives by telling people in the female carriage to move away to the back,” Satria said, recalling the words of a survivor. ”He told them there was an oncoming collision.

“He proved he was a responsible person. He did not leave his station. He did not move to the back carriage to rescue himself.”

Sofyan’s tale of heroism emerged as investigators continued their probe into the cause of the accident. The crash left seven dead and nearly 90 people injured as the commuter train derailed in the explosion, knocking the women’s-only car onto its side, and flames burned through the front of the train.

Initial reports stated that the truck’s driver, a man named Chosimin, attempted to beat the train and drove onto the tracks as the barricade slowly came down. By Wednesday, police had questioned several eyewitnesses and were waiting for the driver and his assistant — who both survived the wreck with serious burns — to recover.

Chosimin suffered burns on 10 percent of his body. His assistant Mudjiono had burns on 25 percent of his body. Both were admitted to the intensive care ward at South Jakarta’s Pertamina Central Hospital (RSPP).

“The driver will, inshallah, recover in two to three weeks,” said Indra Maulana, the hospital’s spokeswoman. “The assistant is similarly recovering. They sustained burns to their faces.”

Conflicting reports claim that the truck was trapped on the tracks as the train approached, sandwiched in traffic so heavy it couldn’t pull away from the railroad crossing to safety.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said officers weren’t jumping to any conclusions.

“The traffic was crowded during that hour,” he said. “But we have to wait for the result of a thorough [investigation].

“We will check the equipment at the accident scene, such as the leaver [used to turn on the warning alarm] and the train barrier’s hydraulic system. [We will also check] whether the warning alarm sounded before the barrier closed or whether the barrier came down before the alarm rang.”

As police continued their investigation the family of Sofyan gathered near his house in Bekasi, West Java, in mourning. He was buried on Tuesday in a cemetery in the city’s Margahayu urban ward. The funeral was attended by dozens of people, many who braved the rain to escort Sofyan’s coffin to its final resting place.

The man’s greatest wish was to take his parents on an umrah (minor hajj) to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, his uncle, Supriatna said. In a sad twist of fate, Sofyan will get his wish. The family is entitled to Rp 90 million in compensation from Pertamina and the state-owned insurance company Jasa Raharja. The money will be used to send his parents, Ade Rukim and Adelia, on a minor hajj, the uncle said.

“Before he died, [Sofyan] said he wanted to take both of his parents to Mecca for umrah,” Supriatna said. “That was his final wish.”



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