Colchester man who was hit by train speaks about recovery

William Johnson, 62, suffered serious injuries to his arms and back when he stepped onto the train line at Colchester station on Friday, September 27.

He was immediately treated by paramedics and has since had reconstructive surgery at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.

Mr Johnson said he was now on new medication for his OCD, which he said had plagued him with “thoughts [that] would not stop”.

He says his condition has improved since he has been in the care of staff at the Royal London Hospital.

Before the incident, Mr Johnson was being treated at the Peter Bruff Centre and has told the Gazette he does not wish to return there.

Treatment - the Peter Bruff unit is on the Colchester Hospital site but is run by the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) (Image: Google Street View)

He said: “I have never really been in a hospital in terms of being sectioned – I was a voluntary patient at the Peter Bruff centre.

“I was going from the Peter Bruff centre to Colchester Station – my thoughts would not stop.

“I was thinking that I needed to find a way to stop them, ‘what can I do?’

“I kept looking at these trains and finally decided, ‘I might as well try this, and if I bang my head, my thoughts will stop’ - it is unfortunately the way OCD is.”

Mr Johnson, who lives in Colchester, said he believes the thoughts were caused by a change in his medication.

Desperate - William Johnson said he thought the only way he could stop the thoughts in his head was by stepping in front of a train (Image: Steve Brading)

He is now on lower doses of other drugs and believes he is making a recovery.

Mr Johnson said: “The way to deal with this, rather than taking masses of humongous drugs, was to take much lighter drugs. The London team were of the theory that the taking of the much milder anti-depressants would be more beneficial.”

He said he had asked “specifically not to be returned” to Colchester for treatment at the centre, which is run by the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.

He added: “I want to get my life back to normal.”

A spokesman for Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) said: “Our thoughts are with William and his family at this time, and while it wouldn’t be right for us to comment on the care of an individual patient, in all cases, any changes to medication are carefully assessed, reviewed and monitored. I urge anyone with concerns about their care to please get in touch.”

If you're struggling, you can call Samaritans for free day or night, 365 days a year, on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.