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A middle-aged woman is fighting for her life after being hit by a train at an isolated pedestrian crossing which also killed her pet dog.

The woman, who is in her 60s, was walking with a man believed to be her son in Wool, west Dorset, when she was hit at an isolated pedestrian crossing.

The train from London Waterloo to Weymouth, Dorset, was halted as paramedics rushed to the scene.

The woman was taken to Southampton General Hospital where doctors described her condition as 'serious'.

The dog was found lying dead wrapped in a blanket on the side of the track.

The incident comes less than a fortnight after Network Rail admitted health and safety breaches over the deaths of two teenage girls who were hit by a train on a level crossing in Essex.

The woman's son was arrested at the scene and taken to a police station, where he was being questioned about why he, his mother and the dog were on the tracks.

He has since been de-arrested by officers who said they are not treating the incident as suspicious.

A British Transport Police spokesman said it was believed that the man was trying to pull the woman off the track when she received the glancing blow from the train. It was not clear whether his mother was trying to retrieve the pet dog from the tracks when she was struck.
 
He said: 'I can now confirm this incident is being treated as non-suspicious, with no foul play thought to be involved. The man detained at the scene has been released from custody. Inquiries to establish why they were on the crossing at the time are ongoing.'

A British Transport Police spokesman said: 'The incident, which was reported to police at 2pm, is currently being treated as unexplained and officers will be working to establish the exact circumstances, including why she was on the tracks at the time.

'Officers from Dorset Police also attended, alongside paramedics from South Western Ambulance Service. The woman was taken to Southampton General Hospital, where her condition is described as serious.

'A man who was with the woman was taken to a police station in Weymouth. The man was uninjured and officers will be speaking with him to establish why they were on the crossing at the time of the incident.'

Network Rail Chief executive Sir David Higgins, last week apologised to the parents of Olivia Bazlinton, 14, and Charlotte Thompson, 13, who were hit by a train in 2005 at Elsenham station in Essex.

This week, Higgins and directors of Network Rail agreed to donate their bonuses to a safety fund.