A woman in Victoria has had a lucky escape after three Protective Services Officers pulled her from train tracks just moments before an oncoming train tore through the spot where she had been standing.
In shocking footage released by Victoria Police, the drunk woman is seen crossing the train tracks at a suburban station but is unable to pull herself up onto the platform and out of the path of the oncoming train.
"She's very lucky to be alive because if we had not been in the spot that we were in, it would have been a very bad outcome on the day."
A man sitting at the station goes to her aid before the three PSOs rush in and quickly yank her to safety, the train just metres away.
The train's driver hit the emergency brake but was unable to stop in time.
The incident, captured on the train station's CCTV, was released by Victoria Police on Thursday as a reminder of the danger of crossing the train tracks:
Former PSO Steven Goldman told a press conference he and two colleagues had been trying to settle a group of young men at the other end of the platform when they saw the woman crossing the tracks.
"It was heading straight for her, I just thought she is going to get hit, we've got to try and grab her out of there," he told The Age.
"We sprinted down to the train tracks and heaved her out by her arms about three seconds before she would have been hit by the train."
He said the woman appeared to be dazed and told officers she was "just being stupid and wanted to get to the other side".
"I don't think she realised the seriousness of what she had done and how close she had came (sic) to being killed on the day," he said in the video released by police.
Constable Ben Mitchell is another of the former PSOs who helped pull the woman to safety. He now works for Victoria Police.
Constable Mitchell said he often caught people attempting to cross the tracks, although this was the "closest I've seen" to someone actually getting hit.
"Nearly every day you would see someone either crossing the level crossing or jumping between the tracks," he said.
"It happens a lot and it is incredibly dangerous. I think that a lot of people just don't realise how dangerous it is," Constable Goldman added.
"She's very lucky to be alive because if we had not been in the spot that we were in, it would have been a very bad outcome on the day."
The woman has been charged for crossing the railway tracks, The Age reports -- an offence which carries a maximum penalty of $1,517 in Victoria.
Constable Goldman, Constable Mitchell and PSO Robert Jackson have received commendations for their bravery during the incident by Victoria Police.
Victoria Police has not released the location and date of the rescue to protect the woman's identity.