Death on the line near Swindon - 15 August 2009

[whole diary]

[willc]

No idea of the circumstances but seems to have happened about 6.30am.

Posts from National Rail and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) sites:

Delays between Swindon (Wilts) and Didcot Parkway
THIS INCIDENT HAS BEEN CLEARED
Time Reported    15/08/2009 06:35
Last updated    15/08/2009 08:30
Route Affected   
Gloucester / Bristol Parkway, Swindon (Wilts), Didcot Parkway, Reading and London Paddington
TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) Affected   First Great Western
Description   
Because of a person having been hit by a train between Swindon (Wilts) and Didcot Parkway, journeys may be delayed by up to 40 minutes

Saturday 15th August  07:05
Services between Swindon and Didcot Parkway are being disrupted due to a fatality in the South Marston area. Services are subject to delay, alteration and cancellation. Replacement road transport is being organised between Chippenham, Swindon and Didcot Parkway.

[Rogang]

1A02 05:30 BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI))-Pad hit a person near South Martson Euro Terminal 06:15. Train stranded for 2 hours then set back into Swindon to detrain. Reversible working permitted on the Down line 07:50, but quite a backlog of up trains at Swindon. Some services via B&H^▸ (Berks and Hants - railway line from Reading to Taunton via Westbury) - 03:59 Swansea-Pad terminated at Bristol then ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) to Swindon to form a revised 1B10 08:40 Swindon-Swansea. Normal working 08:35. 1A02 set still in Platform 3 at 09:00 awaiting fitters clearance before ECS to Old Oak.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Swindon Advertiser:

Man dies after being hit by train

A man died after he was hit by an early morning train in Stratton St Margaret. Police said the victim, in his early 30s, was killed under a bridge at Ermin Street at about 6.30am on Saturday.

Duty Inspector Andrew Carr of Swindon Police said the investigation was being treated as suicide. Police also said it was not clear where the man was from.

A bouquet of flowers have been left tied to the railway bridge.

The incident caused major disruption to rail services between Swindon and Didcot Parkway. It also delayed routes from Gloucester, Bristol Parkway, Reading and London Paddington throughout the morning.

The line was reopened after two hours for normal service to resume.

^A fatality is quite rare in the area,^ said Insp Carr. ^m not aware of this sort of thing happening. I know nationwide it does happen, but this is not common place here. It^s an unfortunate incident.^

A First Great Western statement appeared on its website soon after the incident. It read: ^Services between Swindon and Didcot Parkway are being disrupted due to a fatality in the South Marston area. Services are subject to delay, alteration and cancellation. Replacement road transport is being organised between Chippenham, Swindon and Didcot Parkway.^

British Transport Police are currently conducting an investigation into how the incident happened. A spokesman would only confirm there was a fatality and no other official information was given when approached by the Swindon Advertiser yesterday.

The death comes 48 hours after the Adver revealed how passengers narrowly escaped death when vandals dumped concrete blocks on a railway line in Swindon.

A 125mph First Great Western passenger train, carrying up to 750 people, struck the steel reinforced blocks near Stratton Green Bridge, but managed to stay on the rails.

The train was heading to London Paddington from South Wales, but was so badly damaged it could not continue its journey.

None of the culprits has been caught following the incident at 5pm on Monday, July 13.

The potentially fatal incident was just one of four dangerous incidents on Swindon railway lines in a month.

Any information about the fatality or the vandalism can be passed onto police by calling 0845 408 7000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Swindon Advertiser:

Stuntman took his own life

Mystery surrounds what depressed a Swindon stunt motorcyclist so much he took his own life on a railway line, an inquest heard yesterday.

Geoff Chaloner of Sywell Road, Coleview, laid out on the track just under Ermin Street Bridge in Stratton as a First Great Western train hit him at 70mph, Assistant Deputy Coroner for Swindon & Wiltshire Ian Singleton said.

The stuntman, known as ^The Wheelie King^ who rode for many bike teams including the Over The Top Motorcycle Stunt team, made the 20-minute walk to the bridge from his home.

The dad-of-two was hit by a 450-tonne train at about 6.10am on August 15. He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics at 6.35am, said Mr Singleton.

The inquest at Trowbridge Town Hall heard Mr Chaloner, 46, left a short hand-written note in the kitchen of his family home saying he was ^so sorry to let the family down^.

Giving evidence Mr Chaloner^s wife Debbie said she still didn^t know why he wanted to kill himself. ^If he was (depressed) he didn^t show it and hid it well,^ she said. ^Something was troubling him but he never told me what it was. You know men they don^t like to talk about things.^

She added: ^The letter had about three lines in it ^ That^s the worst bit ^ I wish he^d left something more.^

Debbie said her husband of 22 years was in good health and had never indicated he had any suicidal thoughts.

The inquest also heard from train driver John Plumford who was taking the 5.30am train from Bristol Temple Meads bound for London Paddington. In a witness statement read by the coroner, Mr Plumford said he noticed a ^dark shadow^ on the track just in front of him. He applied the emergency brake but the train was unable to stop in time, said Mr Singleton.

Mr Chaloner was wearing dark clothing on what was not a clear early morning, said the coroner. Tall trees at the side of the track also created shadows over the line near the bridge, he said.

John Wilson, the coroner^s British Transport Police liaison officer for Wales and the South West, said Mr Chaloner had either jumped over a 5ft wall or squeezed through a fence to get to the railway line.

Mr Singleton said HGV driver Mr Chaloner had been drinking alcohol in the lead up to his death.

Several empty beer cans lay near Mr Chaloner^s body, he added. Toxicology results showed Mr Chaloner was more than twice the legal drink/drive limit at 178mg per 100ml of blood. The post-mortem report, compiled by histopathologist doctor Darko Lazic from the Great Western Hospital, said Mr Chaloner died as a result of multiple head and body injuries.

A nine-person jury, made up of five women and four men, took 15 minutes to be able to deliver their verdict. They unanimously concluded: ^He (Mr Chaloner) took his life while under the influence of alcohol.^