It was a terrifying moment and one I will never forget.

Even now I’m not 100 percent sure exactly what happened. I still have flashbacks; It all happened in what seemed like a second.

It was an ordinary day, I met my friend and went to watch Sheffield Wednesday play at Brentford.

We were at Westminster tube station and it was rush hour. My friend, as agreed, led the way so my dog ​​Barley could follow (as he had been trained to do). I instructed Barley to “jump,” which is the command given whenever he needs to move forward.

But when I took a step to get on the subway, I suddenly felt that both of my feet were disappearing into space.

Suddenly, my body was pushed into the car and I fell face down on the ground. My legs had somehow slipped through the gap and fallen into the car.

I didn’t know exactly what it was. I felt great pain in both my legs; they were bruised and scraped.

Looking back, I must have lost my footing because the “gap” between the tube and the platform was too large and I fell – but was still forced onto the tube by the crowd behind me.

As I sat in excruciating pain, I got really worried. While in Italy recently, I had a heart attack and was admitted to intensive care.

I am currently on blood thinners and as noted in my excellent follow-up procedures on the NHS, any bleeding or bruising is dangerous.

I managed to meet a doctor on the football field who advised me to go to A&E first thing in the morning.

I first went to St Thomas, which I was lucky to get to the point where the staff wasn’t completely beleaguered. X-rays confirmed extraordinary bruising but not a broken leg.

Both of my legs hurt terribly and one of them needed to be bled, but I would be okay.

Thankfully, I have been able to follow up such long-term injuries in a specialist unit in my hometown of Sheffield, treating them expertly and avoiding the dangerous consequences of infection.

But I’m angry about what happened to me.

When you step into a London tube station, you hear the tannoy warning people to “mind the gap.” However, if you cannot see like me, most of the time there is no staff to help you.

On the day of my accident, the staff who were going to join the platform were called away because someone had been attacked.

Frankly, it is vital to have someone on hand at all times, especially during peak hours.

Some of our platforms are death traps. The gap between the walkway and the train is huge and unsafe for everyone, especially blind people.

Frankly, Transport for London doesn’t have the money to expand all platforms.

But where the gaps are greatest, creative actions to “fill the gap” should be prioritized. It is very important to prevent others from going through the painful and lasting experience I had.

I don’t get scared easily. I’ve been wandering the streets and stations of Britain with my guide dog for decades.

But that day I was very scared.

How many people fell and were seriously injured due to the gap?

How many injuries went unreported and how many more serious than mine were properly pursued to prevent real tragedies in the future?

I will be meeting with Transport for London shortly to demand an urgent review and response to the security of our busiest tube stations for the sake of us all.

Just saying “mind the gap” and offering no help is not good enough. We need to act now to prevent preventable injuries or worse.

by Lord Blunkett