Preston, Lancashire: woman dead, girl, 8, injured as train hits car at Hoghton

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

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

Woman dead and girl, 8, injured as train hits car

A woman has died and an eight-year-old girl is in hospital with critical injuries after their car was struck by a train at a level crossing.

It happened at about 08:50 BST at a crossing on Station Road in Hoghton, near Preston in Lancashire, British Transport Police (BTP^▸ (British Transport Police)) said.

Paramedics and the fire service are in attendance, but there have been no other injuries reported, while the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch)) announced investigators have been sent to the scene.

Northern Trains warned there would be no trains running between Preston and Blackburn "until further notice" and passengers should not attempt to travel between the stations today.

North West Ambulance Service said several clinical teams attended the scene, including the hazardous area response team and two air ambulances.

"Sadly, a child has sustained life-threatening injuries and has been taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital for further treatment. No passengers from the train required treatment from ambulance crews," a spokesman said.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Services told the BBC four fire engines and specialist appliances are in attendance and are asking the public to avoid the area.

BTP Supt Jamie McGowan said: "Today's events are truly devastating, and our thoughts are firmly with the family of the woman who sadly lost her life and the young girl in hospital with serious injuries. Members of their family are being supported by specially trained officers."

Chris Wright, Network Rail North West route director, said they are "working closely with the emergency services" following the "tragic incident".

"We will fully support the investigation by the emergency services and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch to understand what has happened," he said.

Tricia Williams, managing director of Northern, said: "We can confirm the 7.51am Colne to Preston service was involved in a collision with a car at a level crossing in Hoghton this morning. Our thoughts are with the person who sadly died in the collision and the other passenger in the car who has been taken to hospital. We are now working to support the emergency services, Network Rail and Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) and will co-operate fully with the investigation into what happened."

A spokesperson for RAIB said a team of inspectors has been sent to gather evidence as part of a preliminary examination and "a decision on whether or not an investigation will be launched will be taken in the coming days".

Anyone who witnessed what happened has been asked to contact British Transport Police.

[stuving]

The RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch)'s preliminary statement on this accident says that they believe the crossing warnings and barriers had not operated by the time the train arrived. We must await the results of the investigation to find out why.

At around 08:48 on 25 June 2026, the 07:51 Northern passenger service from Colne to Preston struck a car on Hoghton automatic half-barrier level crossing, which is situated between Preston and Blackburn. The driver of the car was fatally injured in the accident and a child who was a passenger in the car was also seriously injured. No injuries were caused to anyone on the train.

Hoghton level crossing is equipped with road traffic lights and an audible alarm for pedestrians, both of which are designed to activate automatically as trains approach. A short time after the lights and alarm activate, half- barriers at both sides of the crossing will automatically lower, to block the left-hand side of the road. 

The evidence available to RAIB shows that the train had passed a green (proceed) signal as it approached the crossing. RAIB’s preliminary examination also found that the road traffic lights and audible alarm at the crossing had not been activated, and that the half-barriers were raised.

Our investigation will determine the sequence of events that led to the accident and will include consideration of:

    the actions of those involved and any factors that may have influenced them
    any previous incidents at Hoghton level crossing
    the management of risk at this crossing
    any relevant underlying factors.

Our investigation is independent of any investigation by the railway industry or by the industry’s regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.

We will publish our findings, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of our investigation. This report will be available on our website.

[Oxonhutch]

Not far from where I grew up.

This sounds horribly like a wrong-side failure on the railway from the words given in the report.

[Chris from Nailsea]

An update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Villagers fear using level crossing after fatal crash

[Image from here is not available to guests]
Residents say they "don't feel safe going over the crossing" since the fatal incident

Residents have said they are "frightened" to use a level crossing after a woman was killed when her car was struck by a train.

Kerry Coombes, 33, died in the collision on Station Road in Hoghton, Lancashire, at 08:50 BST on 25 June, while an eight-year-old girl who was also in the car remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital.

Preliminary evidence from rail accident investigators suggests warning systems did not activate as the train approached. Network Rail said it was "fully cooperating" with the investigation.

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "Whenever a car drives past our window, we're full of fear," wondering: "Is something going to happen to that car?"

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch)) said in its initial report the train had passed a green signal as it approached but preliminary evidence suggested the crossing's traffic lights and warning alarm had not activated, and barriers were still raised.

The resident said they no longer felt "safe going over the crossing" since the crash, avoiding it at all times.  "There's a lack of understanding of actually what happened on the day," they said, adding, "unless Network Rail come and say 'look this is what happened' we'll never feel settled at all."

Another resident, Sam, lives nearby, and said the crossing was "something we've used for years, previously, and you just assume it's all going to function, it's all going to work properly".  Now, he said, "it's definitely something we actively avoid, you don't need to use that crossing necessarily to get where you want to go".

The crossing is connected at both ends to the A675, meaning avoiding the crossing would only add a few extra minutes to people's journeys.

Sam said he felt "really sorry to the person that it happened to, the family, and what they've had to go through".

(BBC article continues)