Tube nightmare

Very shocking event at Warren Street tube at lunchtime. I was heading down the escalator as an elderly indian-looking couple got onto the up escalator. The husband was immediately in trouble - like he'd never been on an escalator before. Thinking back I reckon he was trying to hang on to the metai, stationary bit rather than the moving handrail. He kept stumbling and eventually fell over, followed by his wife.

By this stage i was at the bottom, so I dashed up to help. I was shocked to see this octogenarian lady sprawled on the steps with her feet uphill, as it were, flailing about in great distress. I managed to support her as another man came down the escalator to help the husband. I shouted for someone to hit the button, which thankfully they did, then we managed to manhandle the lady onto her feet. At that point other people (relatives??) came to whisk them away. I was really shocked by the look of dispair on the lady's face. It was oddly as though she wanted the horror of the situation to be acnowledged more than she wanted to be helped. She even showed me her hand which was smeared with a bit of blood whilst I was heaving her up to sitting. Very unsettling.

... and then a bit silly as I slowly made my way back down the stationary up escalator, only to speed up markedly as I realised they could switch the power back on any second...

Overheard

A lady on the King's Road talking on her mobile: "yes, then you get off at the stop after, by the Town Hall ... Chelsea Town Hall. WHERE WE GOT MARRIED...