When the Virgin Pendolino came of the track at Carnforth, it was reported that the driver fought to get the train under control. This was seen as very silly by us, as railway engineers. How on earth does a driver control a train.
Turns out that, after being thrown off his seat, the driver's first thought was to apply the emergency brakes, and fought to get to the controls to do that. Chances are that they were being applied anyway, either by him not being in his seat, or by the couplings breaking. So he was trying to do the right thing, even though the press reports made it sound very silly, and even though it was probably quite pointless.