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T I realized my life was in danger occurred in my 20s, when life was really just starting out. My best friend, Helen, and I were traveling to Blackburn to reunite with a former classmate who had just relocated there for work. Overjoyed at the reunion, and basking in the prospect of the upcoming weekend of fun, we conversed constantly as we made our way by train from York.

We put our suitcases – full of essentials such as bottles of wine and my new pair of black clogs – in the storage compartment and made ourselves comfortable in a snug pair of seats. Approximately 50 minutes after starting our journey, I was faintly cognizant of a bang. Another one sounded, this time impossible to ignore. Someone cried out as our carriage was lifted off the tracks in what felt like a delayed sequence. In an instant, Helen and I were upright in the middle of the aisle, hugging each other. Head down, eyelids tightly closed, I anticipated the carriage to roll over and burst into flames, as I’d seen in films. I remember thinking our loved ones receiving the notification. That's when the sound of the child sobbing.

“Everything is okay,” I said softly, speaking with a rasp. “It’s all over,” I stated, more to myself than her.

She appeared to be seven or eight, and seemed to be entirely alone. Her weeping jolted me from my stupor; here was my chance to help. I made my way to where she was standing and gave her a reassuring hug. “Don't turn around,” Helen called out, but it was already too late. I caught sight of a man with his face covered in blood. A huge metal object had smashed through the window behind us. Subsequently, we discovered a driverless construction vehicle had tumbled down the embankment and into the side of the train, causing us to derail.

Our compartment was trapped with its leading section elevated. Following that came of sirens and a fellow passenger requested that I to hand the child over so he could pass her through the window, where children were being evacuated to fire crews on standby. Shortly after, Helen and I were also climbing out of the train window and scaling a ladder down onto the railway line.

Back on terra firma – adjacent to a storage building in Pudsey – I began trembling violently. I searched for the little girl and observed her being embraced by her mother, we later learned had been using the restroom during the incident. An emergency worker helpfully fetched my clogs. A fellow passenger plonked down on Helen’s case, causing it to burst open – however, fortunately our wine remained intact. Once we had waited for thirty minutes, we proceeded in a free cab to Blackburn, accompanied by a young man and the lady who had caused the luggage to burst. Our friend was waiting, ashen-faced. She had heard there had been a derailment and a railway official had escorted her to an office and made her a cup of tea while she waited for news.

With the invincibility of youth, we pushed the derailment from our minds and carried on with our night out, which included a memorable turn by Blackburn drag queen Clitheroe Kate. There were no fatalities in the incident, although several people required hospital treatment. Helen and I sustained only bruises and aches and pains from the violent forward motion in the carriage. The train had been slowing to come into Leeds station, which had been the primary reason in averting grave physical damage. Given that nobody was badly hurt helped not to obsess over the “what ifs” but the child was the one who left a lasting impact on me. Attending to her and calming her down helped take my mind off myself and showed me the value of focusing on others in a crisis. In the decades since, I have often wondered if she remembered anything about it, and how significant it had been for her.

Helen and I have remained friends for more than three decades and That location's name now symbolizes for our capacity to handle any situation, as long as we're side by side. Being with her that day gave me the impression I was insulated from the most terrifying aspects. The accident additionally altered my method of handling different emergencies, giving me perspective – and reminding me that, no matter how dire circumstances appear, it is invariably an honor to grow older.