boy of 7 and grandmother killed by 62mph train the AA grumpy column
Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 8:05 am
hello no madcap grumpy intro today as another railway tragedy hits another family.
A BOY of seven and his grandmother were killed on a poorly-lit level crossing where it was "impossible" to tell when a 62mph train was coming, an inquest was told today.
Jean Hoggart, 56, died alongside Mikey Dawson, who was autistic, after they were hit by a train as they crossed the Robin Hood line in Bestwood village, Nottinghamshire.
Today, an inquest at Nottingham Coroner's court heard the crossing, which went over a tramline and a train track, was poorly lit and that it was difficult to tell a train was coming until moments before it arrived.
Mrs Hoggart and her grandson were hit by the 5.45pm Worksop-Nottingham service, a two-car, 250-ton sprinter train.
At the crossing, pedestrians can walk across a disused train track and a tramline before reaching an island in the middle.
They can then cross the third line, which is used by the Nottingham-Worksop service.
The inquest heard that, when Mrs Hoggart and Mikey were killed, a tram had passed through the crossing seconds before the train.
Ian Morden, who witnessed the accident shortly after 6.20pm on November 22 last year, said it was "over in milliseconds".
He said: "I saw the bodies of two people. There was a train at high speed, but I didn't see it coming. It was over in milliseconds.
"The train was there and, when it had passed, there was a bang and there was no one there.
"I went across the line and saw two people lying there and I rang the emergency services."
He added: "After about a week or two, I went back because I was having flashbacks.
"I got out of the car and took two steps forward and then the train came.
"The time was frighteningly low.
"I thought, if you heard that and you were two steps on the line, you would freeze.
"I can remember it being dark. I saw the two people and it was very black. The crossing wasn't very well lit.
"In my opinion, if you heard a noise, you would see the tram and think it was safe. I'm very wary myself about the crossing.
"The trains that go past there go flat out and it's like crossing a motorway to be honest."
Train driver Peter Waumsley said he had sounded his horn moments before the accident.
He said: "The crossing seemed to be so dark that I couldn't see the people on it until I had the lights of the train shining on the crossing.
"It was a frosty night and, if conditions are bad, we do brake tests.
"Because I was stopping at Bulwell station, I was slowing down and braking.
"I was virtually at the crossing when I saw a woman and a small person behind her on it.
"They were looking down on the crossing because it was that frosty and they were looking where they were walking.
"They were oblivious to the train.
"After the first step, the lady turned around in horror to see the train at the crossing."
He added: "Where you have two lines together, people expect that, after one train has gone by, it's clear.
"It's a hazard that you find."
The inquest heard that Mrs Hoggart, a dinner lady of Hucknall, Nottingham, died from multiple injuries.
Her grandson Mikey, also of Hucknall, died from what the coroner, Dr Nigel Chapman, said was a "massive head injury".
At the time of the accident it emerged the pair had been visiting Mrs Hoggart's sister Julia Hackett when the accident happened.
Inquest told boy and gran had no chance on poorly-lit train tracks | The Sun |News
AAG
my sympathies to the families on this tragic occasion.
i have traveled that area i have been to hucknall which is the next station on and there are crossings where trains pass on one side and NET trams pass on the other which was the former british rail down line but they are now in fact 2 bi directional single lines and both trains and trams do go flat out.
this was an accident waiting to happen and both network rail and NET trams must get together to prevent a repeat of this tragedy occuring.
the public must be put before profit and this crossing either closed or made safe
before anymore lives are cut short.
A BOY of seven and his grandmother were killed on a poorly-lit level crossing where it was "impossible" to tell when a 62mph train was coming, an inquest was told today.
Jean Hoggart, 56, died alongside Mikey Dawson, who was autistic, after they were hit by a train as they crossed the Robin Hood line in Bestwood village, Nottinghamshire.
Today, an inquest at Nottingham Coroner's court heard the crossing, which went over a tramline and a train track, was poorly lit and that it was difficult to tell a train was coming until moments before it arrived.
Mrs Hoggart and her grandson were hit by the 5.45pm Worksop-Nottingham service, a two-car, 250-ton sprinter train.
At the crossing, pedestrians can walk across a disused train track and a tramline before reaching an island in the middle.
They can then cross the third line, which is used by the Nottingham-Worksop service.
The inquest heard that, when Mrs Hoggart and Mikey were killed, a tram had passed through the crossing seconds before the train.
Ian Morden, who witnessed the accident shortly after 6.20pm on November 22 last year, said it was "over in milliseconds".
He said: "I saw the bodies of two people. There was a train at high speed, but I didn't see it coming. It was over in milliseconds.
"The train was there and, when it had passed, there was a bang and there was no one there.
"I went across the line and saw two people lying there and I rang the emergency services."
He added: "After about a week or two, I went back because I was having flashbacks.
"I got out of the car and took two steps forward and then the train came.
"The time was frighteningly low.
"I thought, if you heard that and you were two steps on the line, you would freeze.
"I can remember it being dark. I saw the two people and it was very black. The crossing wasn't very well lit.
"In my opinion, if you heard a noise, you would see the tram and think it was safe. I'm very wary myself about the crossing.
"The trains that go past there go flat out and it's like crossing a motorway to be honest."
Train driver Peter Waumsley said he had sounded his horn moments before the accident.
He said: "The crossing seemed to be so dark that I couldn't see the people on it until I had the lights of the train shining on the crossing.
"It was a frosty night and, if conditions are bad, we do brake tests.
"Because I was stopping at Bulwell station, I was slowing down and braking.
"I was virtually at the crossing when I saw a woman and a small person behind her on it.
"They were looking down on the crossing because it was that frosty and they were looking where they were walking.
"They were oblivious to the train.
"After the first step, the lady turned around in horror to see the train at the crossing."
He added: "Where you have two lines together, people expect that, after one train has gone by, it's clear.
"It's a hazard that you find."
The inquest heard that Mrs Hoggart, a dinner lady of Hucknall, Nottingham, died from multiple injuries.
Her grandson Mikey, also of Hucknall, died from what the coroner, Dr Nigel Chapman, said was a "massive head injury".
At the time of the accident it emerged the pair had been visiting Mrs Hoggart's sister Julia Hackett when the accident happened.
Inquest told boy and gran had no chance on poorly-lit train tracks | The Sun |News
AAG
my sympathies to the families on this tragic occasion.
i have traveled that area i have been to hucknall which is the next station on and there are crossings where trains pass on one side and NET trams pass on the other which was the former british rail down line but they are now in fact 2 bi directional single lines and both trains and trams do go flat out.
this was an accident waiting to happen and both network rail and NET trams must get together to prevent a repeat of this tragedy occuring.
the public must be put before profit and this crossing either closed or made safe
before anymore lives are cut short.
