Kiama teen Quinn Paton has thanked the kindness of a stranger who kept her grounded after fallen trees turned her regular train ride home into a distressing ordeal.
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Commuters were stuck for two and a half hours on trains between Dapto and Kiama on Wednesday night, with lights turned off inside due to trees hitting the overhead electrical wires.
Quinn, who has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), was left in the dark among the passengers when she was heading home to Kiama after school.
The 16-year-old lives with sensory issues and became distressed when someone on the train began screaming for a long period.
"When it first stopped, we didn't think much of it because the lights hadn't gone out yet," Quinn said.
"But then suddenly the engine turned off and the lights went off and everyone started panicking.
"I was freaking out and crying."
Gerringong resident and University of Wollongong student James Doosey, 20, was also catching the train home and noticed Quinn was visibly uncomfortable.
He sat with her and offered to play Mario Kart with her on his Nintendo Switch to distract her.
Quinn said it took her mind off the calamity and prevented a meltdown.
"None of my friends were on the train that day ... so it was really nice," she said.
"It always helps if you have someone to talk to or ground you because there's something to focus on."
Quinn's mum Rachelle Paton said she was left anxious herself when she went to pick her daughter up and found the train was significantly delayed.
"My anxiety was through the roof because having a kid with ASD, you're not just thinking 'Is she going be alright when she gets off?' But also, 'Am I ever going to be able to get her on a train again?'," Rachelle said.
But it was James' simple intervention that will allow her daughter to get back on the train again with confidence, she said.
"I just can't thank him enough, because she's bouncing back today," Rachelle said.
"Just that he was confident enough to approach and take it to where he did, I can't even express how wonderful it is for someone like Quinn to have that in such an extreme situation."
Rachelle since got in contact with James after she made a social media post thanking him for his kindness.
Describing himself as naturally quiet, James believed he shouldn't receive praise for just being a decent human being.
But he encouraged others who may also be shy to build up the courage to help out a stranger.
"I just gathered the confidence because Quinn caught my eye and she looked like she was crying," James said.
"Sometimes you need to put others before yourself and get out of your comfort zone.
"Don't worry what's going to come after just help that person, just make sure they're all good."
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Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
