Sabina Ali: 'By the fourth or fifth train, I managed to squeeze on '

Graphic designer, 34

Sabina Ali feared the worst when she drew her bedroom curtains in Islington, north London, yesterday morning.

A covering of snow meant only one thing: transport paralysis. The rest of the morning was an exercise in commuter ingenuity. She said: "When I got up in the morning I saw the snow and simply dreaded my journey to Canary Wharf.

"I thought the Silverlink train line wouldn't be working and the bus routes wouldn't be working so I decided I'd try a new route. I won't be doing that again." She walked to Liverpool Street and waited for more than 20 minutes to board an eastbound tube on the Central line to Bank.

She said: "Because of the adverse weather conditions there were loads of delays on the Tube. Every train was jam-packed. By the fourth or fifth train I managed to squeeze on.

"When I got to Bank the doors opened, people were trying to get off and because the platform is curved, when I stepped out I didn't see the gap. Because I was right near the door I was the first to get off I just tripped and fell between the gap, up to my hips. The whole platform gasped.

"The whole of the right side of my leg is completely bruised and cut. Luckily the Tube wasn't moving at the time. About five people swooped down and pulled me out.

"I was in shock. I got off the platform. There were hordes of people trying to change lines.

"I finally hobbled into work and that's when my leg started to throb. It's every commuter's worst nightmare."