Girl, 14, dies after being hit by train in Walsall, West Midlands - 26 Sept 2017

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Girl, 14, dies after being hit by train in Walsall


The girl died after being hit at the crossing at Wallows Lane, Walsall

A 14-year-old girl has died after being hit by a train at a crossing in the West Midlands.

British Transport Police said the girl was hit at Wallows Lane foot crossing, near Bescot Stadium station, in Walsall, on Tuesday afternoon.

The girl had been crossing tracks after a freight train had gone by but was struck by a train going in the opposite direction, a spokesman said.

She was pronounced dead at the scene, the force said.

Police said while the death appears to be an accident, investigations are ongoing and it is currently being treated as unexplained.

Det Ch Insp Paul Langley from British Transport Police, said: "Although we are in the early stages of our inquiry, at this stage this incident appears to be a very tragic accident. What we know so far is that the young girl was crossing the tracks after a freight train went by. Very sadly, it seems another train was approaching from the opposite direction and struck her."

So sad. 

[JayMac]

Somewhat confused statement attributed to the police. Accident? Unexplained? Still investigating?

My thoughts are with the family and friends of the girl. 

[onthecushions]

Looks like it's on the electrified curve from Bescot to Walsall, close to the M6.

There seem to be other routes, so the foot crossing should have been closed.The motorway may have blocked a convenientpedestrian way.

An adult would need a PTS^▸ (Personal Track Safety) certificate to enter the site; what is a little 14 year old lass to make of the sign, "beware of trains"?

Tragic and unnecessary,

OTC

[chrisr_75]

An adult would need a PTS^▸ (Personal Track Safety) certificate to enter the site; what is a little 14 year old lass to make of the sign, "beware of trains"?

Why would you need a PTS cert to cross a public footpath unless you were there for the purposes of "working on or near the line"? The public footpath signs are clearly visible in the photo.

I would expect anyone with a modicum of sense would approach a level crossing in the same way as crossing a road. Plenty people screw up crossing a road and end up dead or seriously injured and no one seems too concerned about that, so why so much interest in level crossings when someone screws up crossing one of those?

[Chris from Nailsea]

The person involved in this tragic incident was a teenager - apparently on her own, crossing the railway on foot by using an official route.

However: crossing a road, where everyone tends to look right and left because traffic is passing from both directions, is rather different from crossing a railway line.  On most railway crossings, only one train will pass in front of you, for quite a while, from either direction.

The assumption, therefore - particularly for a teenager, on her own - could be that, when a train has passed, it is safe to walk across the track.

However, I am verging on speculating here as to the particular circumstances of this tragic incident.

It is likely that the Rail Accident Investigation Branch will be involved in this case, so it's perhaps best to wait for their findings before commenting further.

Meanwhile, I too offer my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the girl who died.

CfN. 

[Red Squirrel]

no one seems too concerned about that...

I am. So that's not no-one.

[JayMac]

I would expect anyone with a modicum of sense would approach a level crossing in the same way as crossing a road. Plenty people screw up crossing a road and end up dead or seriously injured and no one seems too concerned about that, so why so much interest in level crossings when someone screws up crossing one of those?

Let's not pre-judge, yeah?

I'm reminded of the incident at Elsenham in 2005. Two teenage girls tragically killed. Initially ruled as accidental deaths. Network Rail witheld evidence from the coroner. They were later found guilty of Health and Safety Law failings that led directly to the girls deaths.

So let's not assume the girl in Walsall 'screwed up'.

[chrisr_75]

I would expect anyone with a modicum of sense would approach a level crossing in the same way as crossing a road. Plenty people screw up crossing a road and end up dead or seriously injured and no one seems too concerned about that, so why so much interest in level crossings when someone screws up crossing one of those?

Let's not pre-judge, yeah?

I'm reminded of the incident at Elsenham in 2005. Two teenage girls tragically killed. Initially ruled as accidental deaths. Network Rail witheld evidence from the coroner. They were later found guilty of Health and Safety Law failings that led directly to the girls deaths.

So let's not assume the girl in Walsall 'screwed up'.

Rhetorical question...could be clearer by the use of 'if' rather than 'when', but I shall leave the post as it has now been quoted. No assumptions being made on this particular incident.

There of course could be a number of reasons behind what happened (hence ongoing investigations - the coroner will be involved), but I would certainly hesitate to adopt of oft default position of pointing the finger directly and immediately at 'the railways' whenever any incident happens at a level crossing. I would also hesitate to mention any previously investigated incident until such a time as BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) or RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) have completed their enquiries.

So let's not assume Network Rail are at fault? That seems to be what is being inferred by some on this thread, if I am not mistaken?

[JayMac]

It's a counterpoint to the inference that crossing users 'screw up'.

[Bmblbzzz]

Un train peut en-cacher un autre. Do we not have a similar sign on British level crossings?

[JayMac]

An update. From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Walsall Council advised to shut fatal level crossing three years ago

A level crossing where a 14-year-old girl died after being struck by a train was recommended for closure three years ago, it has emerged.

Network Rail said it requested Walsall Council close Wallows Lane foot crossing, near Bescot Stadium station, on safety grounds in 2014.

The schoolgirl died at the crossing on Tuesday in what officials say appears to be an accident.

The council said there were discussions but no formal application was made.

Terry Wootton, who works in a warehouse that runs alongside an alleyway leading to the crossing, said he ran to the scene at about 15:30 BST after the girl's friend came looking for help.

"I ran with him and dialled 999 and told the ambulance and the first thing I saw was that school books had been strewn down the track.... When I could see her, it was horrific. Just horrific," he said.

"I could see she had gone. I haven't slept since."

British Transport Police said the girl had been crossing tracks after a freight train had gone by but was struck by a train going in the opposite direction.

Mr Wootton said he believed both trains' hooters sounded at the same time, leaving her unaware the second train was coming.

He criticised the safety of the crossing, used by children as a cut through to two schools, describing it as "something from the Dark Ages". It's just a picket gate and a sign to say 'watch the trains'. There needs to barriers or lights and warnings that trains are coming."

Network Rail can only advise or recommend that authorities close crossings.

Walsall Council confirmed the parties talked about removing the public right of way across the crossing three years ago and did not object.

Had there been a formal application after that, the council would have consulted upon it, it added.

The authority and Network Rail are now looking at the future of the crossing, which is currently closed.

Stable door...

Seems Walsall Council believe Network Rail hadn't submitted a formal closure request. And Network Rail believe they had. The paper trail will be interesting.

Once again, my heartfelt sympathy to all affected by this tragic incident. Family, friends, the train driver, witnesses and the emergency services.

[Bmblbzzz]

A couple of observations:

Mr Wootton said he believed both trains' hooters sounded at the same time, leaving her unaware the second train was coming.

Perhaps it should be standard practice that when this happens, one train should sound its hooter again? How to decide which one is left as an exercise for the railway authorities. This wouldn't cost anything and could possibly save lives.

He criticised the safety of the crossing, used by children as a cut through to two schools, describing it as "something from the Dark Ages". It's just a picket gate and a sign to say 'watch the trains'. There needs to barriers or lights and warnings that trains are coming."

I went to a school that was right next to railway tracks. There were two side streets crossing the line (it was a fairly spread out site, actually two separate schools on neighbouring sites) and when I was there (1980s) the crossings had been closed to vehicles but there were wicket gates used to cross the tracks. I can't remember if there were lights and siren – I think there were – but certainly no barrier. Now, both crossings have been totally closed and replaced with one rather complicated looking footbridge. I think this was done about five years ago, but whether as part of a general review or in response to an incident I do not know. There were no accidents on those crossings in the seven years I was there (unlike on the road at the other side of the school) but I think the drivers did have to brake for stray kids (and probably slowed down as a matter of course).

There was also a simple concrete post and plain wire fence between the tracks and the school playing field. For a time there was a fad for climbing over this fence and putting small coins on the rails to be flattened by trains. I never did that but I did do something even more stupid and potentially dangerous. With two friends (it was Clive's idea, he said everyone did it in Portugal where he'd been on holiday... ) we decided to take a shortcut home by walking along the tracks instead of the rather looping road. We checked the timetable (planning!) and there were no trains at that time (I guess we didn't think about freight trains) so off we went. Fortunately (because it stopped us doing it again), though a bit scarily at the time, some people working in gardens overlooking the line saw us and shouted "Trespassers on the railway line!" obviously intending to scare us off, which they did. I don't know if that fence has been replaced with something more secure.

I guess the point of all that is that kids (and probably adults too) will do stupid things on railways in part because they seem like a safe environment. You've only got one danger, the trains (assuming the line's not electrified), and they run in a predictable way, in straight lines and all at similar speeds. They don't swerve or accelerate in unpredictable ways, unlike cars and their drivers don't display the downright vindictiveness that some car drivers can in the vicinity of schools. And of course it's all run to a timetable and most of the time there's nothing there. So it gives the impression of being safe because it's highly regulated. Which statistically it is.

[ChrisB]

Laziness, sorry. If it can take you where you want to go quicker than using the proper/correct route, some pax will always chance themselves. It's a sad state of affairs that we have to be protected from ourselves.

[Bmblbzzz]

Pax? 

[ChrisB]

it's in the dictionary :-)