Elderly man in hospital after falling from bridge over railway

AN elderly man was being treated in hospital after apparently plunging from a bridge onto a steep-sided railway cutting near Glasgow.

The man, who suffered suspected spinal injuries, is thought to have fallen from a bridge over the line between Thornliebank and Giffnock stations in East Renfrewshire shortly after noon yesterday.

Several trains on the Glasgow-East Kilbride route were cancelled during a specialist operation involving Strathclyde Fire and Rescue to rescue the man, which was required because of the steepness of the slope near the Burnfield Road bridge.

A Network Rail spokeswoman said: “An elderly man was on the embankment with suspected spinal injuries.

“It is not clear how he came by his injuries but the indication is that he may have fallen or come from the bridge over the railway.”

A British Transport Police spokesman said: “Officers were called to the line after a report of a man seen on the railway line. Paramedics attended and he was taken to hospital.”