Another Parent Separated From Child on TRAX

Another Parent Separated From Child on TRAX


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Ed Yeates reportingAnother mother was separated from her child after doors on a TRAX train closed, leaving her on the platform and her two-year-old son on the departing train.

The incident is not the first, and it's frustrating for both parents and UTA.

Katherine Vigil/ Andrew's Mother: "I tried to pry them open with my fingers and screamed at the top of my lungs, 'My baby! My baby! My baby!' There were people on board that saw me screaming."

Katherine Vigil, riding TRAX for the first time, didn't know trains stop for only 20 to 30 seconds, didn't know she was boarding at the wrong door, didn't know doors become inoperable before trains leave.

So her first experience was not a pleasant one.

Katherine Vigil: "I was scared to death. I was scared to death. I didn't know who had my son."

But inside passengers pushed a button. The operator was alerted, and a supervisor had Andrew waiting for mom three stops later.

To prevent these incidents, Katherine Vigil believes parents should be able to use the platform reserved for disabled people. But UTA says that would create only more problems.

"We went with the standard throughout the nation and this is the platforms, the accessibility ramps are for the disabled."

Justin Jones/ Utah Transit Authority: "If we have too many people at the platform, that will delay trains and really make the trip longer for everyone."

UTA says stroller guidelines will remain the same as for bicycles. Don't use the middle doors with a stairwell railing. These parents got their stroller caught trying to exit this way.

Instead, use either the front or the end of each car, marked with the symbol-- a bicycle here. Notice the difference. There's no obstruction, no posts, no railings in the middle. This allows for a bicycle to come on board, strollers, packages, whatever."

A little courtesy can help too. If you see a parent struggling with a stroller, give her a hand.

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