Man hit by train near Warminster - 14 July 2010

[whole diary]

[159jim]

Trains between Salisbury and Westbury are being delayed up to 60 minutes due to Man being hit by a train near Warminster. (I'm guessing that this is a normal FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Portsmouth Hbr - Cardiff Ctrl service that struck the poor guy?)

[grahame]

I'm guessing that this is a normal FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Portsmouth Hbr - Cardiff Ctrl service that struck the poor guy?

Probably ... services on this line are south of Warminster are:

Portsmouth - Cardiff - hourly each way
Brighton - Great Malvern - 1 southbound and 2 northbound each day
Bristol / Westbury - Southampton and back - a handful each day
Swindon - Southampton - 2 southbound (06:15 and 18:45), none northbound
Freight - Southampton to Midlands and north, largely diversionary

North of Warminster ... add:

Westbury to Warminster short workings
Warminster to Cheltenham / Worcester / Great Malvern

[Ollie]

Trains between Salisbury and Westbury are being delayed up to 60 minutes due to Man being hit by a train near Warminster. (I'm guessing that this is a normal FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Portsmouth Hbr - Cardiff Ctrl service that struck the poor guy?)

No was an SWT^▸ (South West Trains) service from Bristol TM^‡(resolve) to Waterloo

[devon_metro]

Trains between Salisbury and Westbury are being delayed up to 60 minutes due to Man being hit by a train near Warminster. (I'm guessing that this is a normal FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Portsmouth Hbr - Cardiff Ctrl service that struck the poor guy?)

The "poor guy" (or woman) is the driver!

[smithy]

Trains between Salisbury and Westbury are being delayed up to 60 minutes due to Man being hit by a train near Warminster. (I'm guessing that this is a normal FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Portsmouth Hbr - Cardiff Ctrl service that struck the poor guy?)

The "poor guy" (or woman) is the driver!

agreed.

[grahame]

Trains between Salisbury and Westbury are being delayed up to 60 minutes due to Man being hit by a train near Warminster. (I'm guessing that this is a normal FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Portsmouth Hbr - Cardiff Ctrl service that struck the poor guy?)

The "poor guy" (or woman) is the driver!

agreed.

Certainly our sympathys to the driver. But I don't know what happened, and I recall a very recent body on the tracks that was a victim of an unlawful killing. So I'm not in a position to withdraw any sympathy from the person struck at the moment.

[tramway]

More detail in the Wiltshire Times

The South West Trains 1.10pm Bristol Temple Meads to London Waterloo service was going at about 120mph at the time of the impact which killed the man and animal.

Quality of reporting leaves a little to be desired though.

[Chris from Nailsea]

An update, from the Wiltshire Times:

A pensioner who was killed on a railway line near Warminster, while trying to rescue his dog, has been named.

Retired estate agent Michael Hardy, had only lived in Codford for a few weeks when the tragic accident happened on Wednesday at about 2.15pm.

The 71-year-old who had moved to the village with his wife from Wokingham, had parked his car at Sherrington Lane, Codford before taking his dog for a walk.

He had crossed Sherrington Lane crossing and is thought to have gone back on to the line to retrieve his dog when he was struck by the South West Trains 1.10pm Bristol Temple Meads to London Waterloo service, which was going at about 120mph.

Police officers from Warminster Police station were first at the incident followed by officers from British Transport Police who secured the scene.

An inquest is expected to be opened next week.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch are looking into the incident.

[JayMac]

A sad story, but I note that the article referred to the SWT^▸ (South West Trains) BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)-WAT running at about 120mph. I think not.....

[Brucey]

The Sun also reported this story (in today's edition) by incorrectly saying that the train was running at 120mph.  Was there an error in the press release?

[Chris from Nailsea]

There generally aren't any press releases about such incidents, Brucey.

What tends to happen is that the local press get to hear about an incident, and they telephone the press office of the train company for more details.  However, due to the very nature of these incidents, in the short term, there are very few more factual details available - so the journalist then just has to write an article, as best they can.

I suspect they look at details of the train involved - a Bristol to London service, in this case - and assume that it must have been a 'high speed train'.  And once the first journalist has written an article, suggesting the train was "travelling at 120mph", most of the other newsrooms will tend to follow that lead, and quote that speed as if it was fact.

We will have to wait for the result of the RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) investigation to find out the exact details in this case.

Chris. 

[dmutony]

like everyone has said there is no way i can see a 158/159 doing 120mph tops it would be doing 90/95 mph

[Chris from Nailsea]

Subsequent posts on this topic have been moved to our 'frequent posters' board, out of consideration for anyone affected personally by this sad incident.

[158747]

like everyone has said there is no way i can see a 158/159 doing 120mph tops it would be doing 90/95 mph

Train would probably have been travelling between 65 & 75mph. Linespeed at Sherrington is 75 with a 65 restriction just after crossing

[JayMac]

From the Wiltshire Times:

Tributes to man killed in rail tragedy

A 70-year-old man from Codford died after trying to retrieve his dog from train tracks near his home. Michael Hardy had only lived in Codford for a few weeks when the tragic accident happened last Wednesday at about 2.15pm.

Mr Hardy of Greenhill Place, who had moved to the village with his wife, Anne, from Wokingham, had parked his car at Sherrington Lane, Codford, before taking his dog for a walk. He had crossed Sherrington Lane foot crossing, which links Sherrington Lane to The Grove, and is thought to have gone back on to the line to retrieve his dog, which also died in the incident. The 70-year-old was struck by the South West Trains 1.10pm Bristol Temple Meads to London Waterloo service on a 120mph stretch of line.

The retired estate agent founded Michael Hardy Estate Agents in Berkshire in 1985 but retired in 1997.

Managing director of the company, Neal Mackenzie, paid tribute to a naturally charming man. He said: ^Michael was that gentle hand on my shoulder just telling me to slow down. Michael never cared much about profit and loss, his eyes would always glaze over when I talked figures. It was dealing with houses that excited him. Michael^s greatest attributes other than his ability to see a potential deal where others couldn^t were his self-deprecating wit and natural charm. Whether it was a salt-of-the-earth builder or a group captain living on Finchampstead Ridges, Michael would have them chuckling within minutes of meeting them. He was a dear friend and I shall miss him greatly.^

Codford has two road crossings at Station Road and Sherrington Road and one foot crossing from The Grove to Sherrington Lane.

Chairman of Codford Parish Council, Romy Wyeth, confirmed that prior to this incident no complaints had been made to the council about the crossings. ^No-one has raised any safety concerns about the crossings in Codford because there is good visibility ^ you can see distances from the crossings,^ she said.

Karen Johnstone, who has been a Codford parish councillor for more than 20 years, added: ^ve used the rail crossing umpteen times myself with dogs and there^s never been a problem ^ this is just an unfortunate and dreadful accident. Nobody has come to the parish council to say there is a problem with any of the village crossings. There is great sadness in the village. It^s just dreadful, I cannot imagine how the family are feeling.^

Michael Hardy^s inquest was opened and adjourned on Friday by assistant coroner Dr Clare Balysz at Salisbury Coroner^s Office. A cause of death has been recorded as multiple injuries in keeping with collision with a train.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch are looking into the incident.