Citizen journalism first hand: my experiences from yesterday's train crash

Citizen journalism first hand

My experiences from the front carriage of the May 9th CrossCountry train crash where our train hit 12 cattle at high speed near Oxford. These are the tweets that got used by a lot of the mainstream media to cover this incident, with me as the 'citizen journalist'. My name also trended on Twitter

Storified by Drew Benvie · Thu, May 10 2012 07:54:06

Passengers 'in tears' after train hits herd of cows - Telegraph"Everyone including driver is ok. People saw a vehicle and a lot of blood... We're being assured it was a herd of cattle. Felt like we'd ...

That was the outcome... here's how it unfolded. I was on a train home, not a train or route I normally take. I was sat near the front of the front carriage. 5mins after passing Oxford there was a loud crash, debris and blood outside flying everywhere, and what felt like our train crashing. We were all safe, apart from what we hit, poor things. And we mostly all got home in the early hours of the morning the next day. 

In the front carriage of a hi speed train that just hit something (something big and alive...) life passing before eyes momentDrew Benvie

Our virgin train just outside Oxford has hit a herd of animals at hi speed and we think a vehicle. People in tears. train is on the tracksDrew Benvie

Note I got the brand / name of the train wrong. I later corrected this tweet as did Virgin Trains over Twitter

Everyone incl driver is ok. People saw a vehicle and a lot of blood... We're being assured it was a herd of cattle. Felt like we'd derailedDrew Benvie

Everyone feels shaken but train staff great, have done two laps of the train telling us what they know. Engine taken out by the crashDrew Benvie

@drewb Hi Drew, are you sure this was on a Virgin Train? We don't go via Oxford, could possible be @CrossCountryUk ? ^ABVirgin Trains

@drewb Hi Drew, I have spoken to our Control team and is is definitely not a Virgin Train service involved in this incident ^ABVirgin Trains

We're on a cross country train (I thought it was virgin cross country, but thinks it's just cross country!). 1hr, still strandedDrew Benvie

Some facts: CrossCountry train 5mins past Oxford heading to Banbury. We hit a herd of cattle and we think a vehicle 1hr ago. Not moved sinceDrew Benvie

Drew Benvie, @drewb is now trending in United Kingdom http://trendsmap.com/gbTrendsmap UK

Reports: Passengers 'in tears' as train hits cattle on track near Oxford | ITV NewsTwitter user Drew Benvie says a train he was travelling on 'hit a heard of animals' near Oxford. "Our Virgin train just outside Oxford ha...

1.5hrs no change. I've spoken to the driver & asked if he's ok (I was in the front car). Seems fine but I can't imagine what he experiencesDrew Benvie

Correction I spoke to manager, not driver. Driver is very shaken. New update: Waiting for a 'fitter' to see if train can move. Hit 12 cattleDrew Benvie

#CrossCountry train lucky to be on the rails by the sounds of it after hitting a large herd of cattle near #Oxford / #Tackley #ukrail #oxonSimon

@BBCNews pls follow me so I can DM you also... Have just followed you. Thanks!Drew Benvie

The view http://pic.twitter.com/kKolko9xDrew Benvie

Passengers Stranded After Train Hits Herd Of Cattle At High SpeedA packed passenger train has crashed into an escaped herd of cows causing chaos on a train travelling through Oxfordshire The 2.45pm Cros...

Passengers 'in tears' after train hits herd of cows http://tgr.ph/K2UF17The Telegraph

2hrs 45mins still no movement. Train managers are now collecting all passengers' personal details / home addresses on paper so we get homeDrew Benvie

We just moved 1cm! Then stopped. Seems the engine is fixed, the poor cows now being removedDrew Benvie

Horrible journey home. 3hr 40min since this train hit a herd of 12 cows at full speed. We haven't moved since and we're all still on boardDrew Benvie

Poor driver, poor farmer and poor poor cows. The train staff have been great. But we're still very much strandedDrew Benvie

And we're moving!! Lots of cheers from the passengers. We're heading back to OxfordDrew Benvie

Thanks everyone for you support! And for all the texts and phone calls :) almost back... Back where we started 5hrs ago.Drew Benvie

Stirling work today from this chap: @drewb, never mind the operator confusion, excellent reporting #betterthanthequeensspeechJack Harty

Train company have taken our details - all passengers. We're hoping they'll pay for cars to take us home but not sure. 6hrs since I got onDrew Benvie

Train hits herd of cows on tracks: A passenger train with about 200 people on board crashes into a herd of cows ... http://bbc.in/JVLDkxBBC Oxford

Here's what happened... http://pic.twitter.com/4TZtMfxwDrew Benvie

I really don't want to sit at the front of a train ever again. Harrowing awful experience these last 7hrs.Drew Benvie

Reading a news piece on twitter referencing @drewb's tweets that I was reading live at the time. It is weird this real time stuff really...Mazher Abidi

IT WAS ONE OF THE SCARIEST MOMENTS OF MY LIFELittle Lady

@drewb you got a mention (not twitter handle sadly) in the sun today, page 23 - go get 'em!Kevin Dixie

My tweets from yesterday's crash are in The Sun, BBC, ITV, Telegraph, Guardian, HuffPo and on the wires. Citizen journalism first handDrew Benvie