Track tragedy: man electrocuted on Christchurch railway line - 17 Sept 2012

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Bournemouth Echo:

A man was killed after being electrocuted on the railway line in Christchurch on Monday night.

An investigation is underway into the death of the man who was killed after coming into contact with the electrified rail.

British Transport Police said the man was in his twenties and from the local area.

Dorset Police said they were called at 11.17pm to reports a man was behaving inappropriately near railway lines at Christchurch station.

A spokesman said: ^Police attended and the man was seen to make off ^ a short time later the body of a man was found on the railway line.

^In accordance with protocol, the matter has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).^

Witnesses said they saw a man lying face down on the Pokesdown side of the rails under the Barrack Road railway bridge with police officers also on the track.

A British Transport Police (BTP^▸ (British Transport Police)) spokesman said: ^BTP officers were called to Christchurch station in Dorset shortly after 11.30pm on Monday, September 17, after a report that a man had died after coming into contact with the electrified rail. The incident was also attended by Dorset Police officers.

^South Western Ambulance Service medics also attended but the man, believed to be in his twenties and from the local area, was pronounced dead at the scene.

^The man^s death is currently being treated as non-suspicious.

^Power to the line was switched off following the incident causing one train to be stranded between Pokesdown and Christchurch stations. All 16 passengers were safely detrained and taken to their onward destinations via alternative transport. The man was not struck by the train.^

A South West Trains spokesman said that the 22.58pm service from Wareham to Winchester was stranded outside Christchurch station. Passengers were led down from the train and put in taxis to their destinations.

Anyone with any information which they believe can assist is asked to contact British Transport Police on Freefone 0800 40 50 40, quoting incident reference 556 of 17/09/2012.

Shocked residents have described seeing the man^s body on the railway lines following the incident on Monday.

Simon Miller, 46, a builder from Christchurch, said his 16-year-old son Bradley and Bradley^s 17-year-old girlfriend saw the incident. Mr Miller said: ^They were walking home from the cinema. They had been to watch a horror film. She could smell burning and they looked over the edge and this was lying on the line and he had obviously been electrocuted. They could see his leg moving because they could see his white trainer. She started screaming and there were police walking on the other side of the road. Bradley phoned me and I picked them. They were just crying ^ they were in a hell of a state.^

Adam Wilson, 24, pictured,  was leaving work at the Bailey Bridge pub around 11.30am, when he saw police on the bridge. He said: ^I looked down and there was a body face down on the tracks. They were shining their torch on him. There must have been about three of them down there. The man was wearing jeans and a check shirt.^

Christchurch resident Tim McClellan, whose daughter Katrina was travelling home from London was delayed at Brockenhurst as a result of the incident. ^She phoned me and said transport was being arranged. I thought they might bring her back to Christchurch so went to the station around 1am. As I went over the bridge at Barrack Road, there was a police van on the right and a car and officers standing by the bridge and a whole lot of police cars going in and out of the station car park. I spoke to an officer and they said they someone had gone under a train somewhere on the line.^

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Bournemouth Echo:

Tributes pour in for railway death man Jason May

A man who was electrocuted on the railway at Christchurch has been named as Jason May.

The 24-year-old was found dead near the Barrack Road railway bridge, which is beside the Bailey Bridge pub.

An inquest has been opened and adjourned and a post mortem gave the death cause of death was unascertained.

...

He was seen lying near the railway line by witnesses, moments before a train came past.

Dorset Police said they were called at 11.17pm to reports a man was behaving inappropriately near railway lines at Christchurch station.

A spokesman said: ^Police attended and the man was seen to make off ^ a short time later the body of a man was found on the railway line.^

A British Transport Police (BTP^▸ (British Transport Police)) spokesman said Mr May died after coming into contact with the electrified rail and that he was not struck by the train.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has decided it is appropriate for the police to handle the case. The BTP said Mr May^s family do not wish to be contacted at the moment.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Southern Daily Echo:

Family warns 'Don't risk your life on the tracks' after death of Jason May



The devastated family of a young Hampshire dad who was electrocuted on a railway line hope that their loss will stop others from risking their lives on the tracks.

Jason May was killed after walking across the tracks at Christchurch train station after a night at a friend^s house.

His family in New Milton have paid tribute to the outgoing and popular 24-year-old and have vowed to keep his memory alive for the sake of his six-month-old son Triyden.

Details of how former Solent University student Jason came to be on the tracks are still unclear as British Transport Police continue their investigations but he had been on his way home to Charminster in Bournemouth after spending the evening at a friend^s house.

Speaking from their home in Eastlands, New Milton, his mum Linda and older brother Shaun, were struggling to come to terms with Jason^s sudden death, so soon after he had become a dad.

She said: ^We are all devastated but my husband Pete has been hit so hard by it all. He had so many plans and hopes for Jason and now none of them will ever happen. He was just starting out in life.

^Jason was really out going and loved his extreme sports. You could never keep him inside because he was always out on his skateboard or BMX bike. Because of that, whenever he was out I always feared getting that knock at the door but I can^t believe it has happened like this.

^We still don^t know what exactly happened which is really frustrating but I just wish he hadn^t been messing about on the railway lines because he would still be with us today.

^I hope that this will warn others about how dangerous rail tracks can be and that they keep away.^

Jason, who was also an uncle to eight-year-old Harry, worked as a telesales worker at Central Marketing, a job which his mum said he kept going back to because he loved it and everyone loved him.

Growing up with his brother Shaun and younger sister Kerry in New Milton, keen fisherman Jason went to Arnewood School in New Milton before heading to Brockenhurst College, where he got the grades he needed to study accountancy at university.

Since his death his family has been inundated with hundreds of messages from friends which they will store in a special memory box they are creating for Triyden so that he grows up knowing who his dad was and how well loved he was.

Linda added: ^Triyden is just a mini version of him so just looking at him is upsetting because they are so alike. However it is comforting to think that Jason lives on through Triyden.^

Shaun, 26, added: ^I have some really funny memories of Jason. We have had so many people sending us their memories of Jason which has been a real comfort over the past few days.^

Dorset Police confirmed that they were called to reports of a man behaving inappropriately near railway lines at the station last Monday night but when they arrived the man was seen to ^make off^. A body was found a short time later on the railway line near to the Barrack Road railway bridge.

An inquest has been opened and adjourned and a post-mortem gave the cause of death as unascertained.