Re: Glenbrook Inquiry

[G.Lambert@unsw.edu.au (Geoff Lambert)]

On Mon, 14 Feb 2000 22:43:00 +1100, "Bernard Smith"
<epping.smiths@gatewaynet.bigpond.com> wrote:

>A report on the first day of the inquiry can be found at
>http://www.smh.com.au/breaking/0002/14/A17802-2000Feb14.shtml
>
Interesting. 

This report finishes with:

The inquiry also heard a tape of the call made by one of the two
drivers on the Indian         Pacific, David Willoughby, to the
ambulance service.  'I'm a train driver with National Rail on the
Penrith side of Glenbrook and I think a train  has just run up the
back of our train ... the Indian Pacific here,' he said before asking
for all emergency services to be sent to the scene.

But the same story in the paper copy of the SMH finishes with:

The court also heard that after the impact Mr Willoughby used his
mobile telephone to report the accident to 000. " I'm a train driver
with National Rail on the Penrith side of Glenbrook.. . " he is heard
saying on the tape recoding.  "I think there's a train up our arse.  "

And in the paper and web copy of The Australian, their story finishes
with:

The inquiry also heard tapes of Indian Pacific driver David Willoughby
reporting the crash to the SRA. "We've just been run up the arse at
Glenbrook by an interurban," he says. "You what?" asks the controller
at Sydney West Control. "I'm fair dinkum, mate," he says.  "We got a
big ram from the back and I think there's a train up our arse there."

And the Telegraph's on-line story said:

Indian Pacific driver Dave Willoughby's phone call minutes later to a
train controller was recorded as he ran to place warning detonators to
stop a westbound train hitting the wreckage. "We've just been run up
the arse by an interurban at Glenbrook I think mate," Mr Willoughby
told the controller.

So, not only do reporters manage to get confused when covering a story
on the ground, they hear (or report) different things that are given
as evidence in court.