Railway crossing accidents are unfortunately common in Indonesia, often the result of motorists disregarding safety precautions, deliberately or otherwise.
A young traffic police officer by the name of Sheriff Gagah (whose name aptly translates to “Gallant Sheriff”) made the ultimate sacrifice to save some reckless motorists and is now being posthumously hailed as a hero in his hometown of Jombang Regency in East Java.
According to the Jombang Police, Brigadier Sheriff was on duty directing traffic near a railway crossing on Saturday evening. Although the boom gates at the crossing had shut as a train was about pass, he noticed that several motorcyclists were still attempting to cross the intersection.
The young police man then stepped in front of them to prevent their crossing, but the train was unfortunately too close by that point and struck the policeman, killing him.
“In order to serve and protect the public, he risked his life,” said Jombang Traffic Police Chief Agung Marlianto, as quoted by Liputan 6 yesterday.
Agung added that while Sheriff’s act was beyond brave, the department is grieving over the loss of a fine policeman.
The East Java Provincial Police is going to posthumously reward Sheriff with a promotion. However, they have urged their officers to prioritise their personal safety while on duty in light of this incident.
“Stopping others to save them is one thing, but risking one’s own life, what’s the point?” said East Java Police Chief Machfud Arifin, as quoted by Detik.
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