Water Bottle Saves Mutare Woman from Train Death
A 23-year-old woman from Mutare, Lisa Shumba, came within inches of death on Saturday, 2 August 2025, after walking along railway tracks with earphones in—completely unaware of an oncoming train.
According to the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), the train driver noticed Shumba strolling on the tracks and ignoring the train’s horn. With time running out, he made a split-second decision and threw a water bottle at her in a desperate attempt to get her attention.
The move worked. Shumba turned around just in time to see the massive locomotive bearing down on her. She managed to jump off the tracks, but not completely unscathed—she was clipped by the train and suffered bruises to her knees.
She was rushed to a nearby hospital, treated, and later discharged. Thankfully, the injuries were not life-threatening.
The NRZ has praised the train driver’s quick reflexes, saying his actions likely saved Shumba’s life. The organisation also used the incident to remind the public of the dangers of walking on railway lines, especially while wearing earphones.
“A 23-year-old woman walking on the tracks putting on earphones escaped death by a whisker after a quick-thinking engineman threw a water bottle at her to alert her of an approaching train in Mutare yesterday. Lisa Shumba, startled by the water bottle which fell in front of her, turned and saw the train. The locomotive hit her as she jumped off its direct path. She suffered bruises on her knees. She was treated and discharged from hospital. The heroic act by the engineman saved her life since the earphones had prevented her from hearing locomotive’s warning horn. We salute the engineman and appeal to members of the public to avoid walking on the railway lines, especially when putting on earphones,” NRZ said in a statement.
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