"I had one chance to save her life"

Agnes Janssens from Olen was on May 20 last year with the car on the way to an osteopath in Nijlen to get treatment a muscle tear in the arm. The railway crossing near the station in Nijlen she saw an elderly woman got into trouble. "The woman was the spur crossing when the lights on red jumps. Then immediately afterwards also the barriers went down, she panicked," Agnes Janssens remembers. "She hesitated: she would return or move she finally fell in the middle of the track crossing.."

Maria Nees had broken her wrist and hit not get up. The woman threatened to run over a few seconds later by an oncoming train. "I immediately jumped out of my car. I saw the terror in her eyes when I walked up to her," Agnes says. "I saw it coming train.

I knew I had only one chance to grab her and that I had to pack flight. While walking, I dragged her on my shoulder. I saw her across the railroad thrown against the barrier. Two seconds later the train roared by. It was an IC train, which did not stop at the station of Nijlen. He drove at high speed. Forty years ago I was in Sportkot (at the University of Leuven, ed.). Because of the adrenaline I had the same speed and power as back in my body. Otherwise I'd never met in time. "

Risking their lives

Agnes Janssens her heroic act also endangered her own life, but she had no time to stop."Several people saw what was happening, but no one responded. I had no choice, because I did not think anyone would be killed before my eyes," Agnes explained. "You have no time to doubt At such a moment. After Mary had saved in the nick of time, she was in shock. She did not even know if she had survived."

Only one witness lap Agnes and Mary after the incident to help. Other bystanders, there was no single rating. "On the contrary, a moment later I saw four men pushing my car to the side. She scolded me that my car blocked the road. I had to put him next time with four lights next to the road. I'm very hard shocked" testifies Agnes.

"I would rescue anyone who is in trouble, but after such a response you wonder if anyone deserves it. I am very happy that I can receive on Monday Medal for Courage and Self-Sacrifice. This proves that the community still appreciate what I've done. "

Eternally grateful

A few weeks after they had saved Mary Nees of death, Agnes Janssens went to the Sacred Heart retirement home in Nijlen to visit Mary. She is warmly and extensively thanks. "When I stumbled, I broke my wrist. I had a lot of pain and I was frozen with terror on the tracks," Mary recalls. "I remain eternally grateful to Agnes. She saved my life, with risks to her own life."

By: Editorial / JEF OF washer / HLN. Photo: Repro De La Cruz