Girl killed in Beech Hill, Misson Springs level crossing crash - 4 December 2012

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

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

The crash happened on the Beech Hill level crossing at Misson Springs

A child has been seriously hurt when a train struck a car on a level crossing.

The train collided with the vehicle at the Beech Hill crossing on Springs Road at Misson Springs, on the border of Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire.

British Transport Police said the child and a woman were in the car. The child was airlifted to hospital and the woman is being treated for minor injuries.

No-one on the East Midlands Trains service from Lincoln to Doncaster was injured, he added.

Earlier police said they believed three people had been in the car.

Buses are replacing trains between Doncaster and Lincoln Central as a result of the crash, with journey times extended by up to 45 minutes.


The Doncaster-bound train did not leave the tracks

A spokesman for the train company said: "Our first priority and thoughts are for those involved in the incident. Our staff ensured that passengers were safely escorted from the train and these passengers will be taken forward to Doncaster by alternative road transport.

"Safety is our absolute priority and we will do everything in our power to assist the investigation into identifying the cause of the incident."

Mark Jepson, from Rotherham, tweeted: "Thoughts with level crossing crash victims at Finningley. I've been over it countless times with work. Dangerous place."

[Chris from Nailsea]

Sad news in an update from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Misson Springs level crossing crash girl Emma Lifsey dies


Emma's family said they were "utterly distraught" following her death

A four-year-old girl injured when a car was hit by a train on a level crossing in Nottinghamshire has died.

The crash happened at the Beech Hill crossing on Springs Road, Misson Springs, near the border with South Yorkshire, just after noon on Tuesday.

The girl, named as Emma Lifsey, was airlifted to Sheffield Children's Hospital but died in the early hours. A woman, 67, who was in the car suffered neck injuries. No-one on the Lincoln to Doncaster train was injured.

In a statement, Emma's parents Mark and Zoe Lifsey, from Haxey in North Lincolnshire, said: "Emma meant the world to us. She was our much-loved daughter and a baby sister to her 11-year-old brother Jack. We are still trying to come to terms with the terrible incident on Tuesday afternoon and there are no words that can properly express how utterly distraught we are.

"We would like to thank everyone for the many messages of sympathy and support we have received. As you can appreciate, this tragic incident has left us shocked and devastated and we would ask that we can be left to grieve in private at this acutely difficult and sad time for us."

There are more than 6,500 level crossings in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom). The one at Beech Hill is of a half-barrier type, where only one side of the road is blocked as the train approaches.

A British Transport Police (BTP^▸ (British Transport Police)) spokesman said: "The police investigation into the incident is ongoing and remains very much in the early stages. Officers are working hard to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident, including how the vehicle came to be on the tracks at the time. This will include speaking to any witnesses to the incident, while specialist officers will also look at evidence from the scene and the car in question, a black Volvo which has now been recovered."

BTP added they would not be clarifying the relationship between Emma and the 67-year-old.

Emma's death has led to renewed calls for level crossings to be replaced.

Sim Harris, editor of Rail News, said the problem of crossings was as old as railways but had got steadily worse. "The Victorians knew very well that level crossings were a particularly dangerous point - and that was in the days when trains usually did not run as fast as 30mph and the only traffic was horse-drawn. So we should regard it as a major risk and in the long term, no matter how much it costs, we will have to get rid of them, they don't fit into a 21st Century transport system."

The RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) union's general secretary Bob Crow echoed this sentiment, saying: "There is no need for these barriers anymore. There should be a clear programme by Network Rail now, and the government should be fully behind them, that we are going to eliminate barriers altogether."

But while Labour MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) for Bassetlaw John Mann, who represents the area, called the safety record of level crossings a "scandal", he felt replacing them with bridges or tunnels was not practical. "It's hugely expensive," he said. "I have been trying to (replace) the one in Worksop, which is used by 12 trains a day and is a huge one in terms of traffic volumes. I've been trying to do work to get that removed and tunnel under it but the cost of doing it is six or seven million pounds and we have got a lot of (other crossings). It's unrealistic to think we can move quickly to get rid of them because the cost would be huge."

Network Rail's route managing director, Phil Verster, said: "We are all trying to understand what happened and are working closely with the investigating authorities to find the answers."

[Chris from Nailsea]

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

Emma Lifsey fatal crash crossing safety work scrapped

Safety work on a level crossing in Nottinghamshire where a four-year-old girl died was scrapped after officials decided it was not necessary.

Emma Lifsey from Haxey in North Lincolnshire died after a crash at the Beech Hill crossing at Mission Springs, near South Yorkshire on Tuesday.

A report by Network Rail in 2011 identified it as needing improvement. But the company said the Office of Rail Regulation later decided to shelve the project.

A 67-year-old woman who was driving the car suffered neck injuries and is said to be in a stable condition.

The Network Rail report said the Beech Hill crossing was "no longer suitable for half barriers" and proposed to install full barriers in April 2013. But Phil Verster, route managing director for Network Rail, confirmed an assessment by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about)), who have to authorise all improvement works, rejected this.

Mr Verster said: "We assess the level crossings regularly. After our proposals were assessed by the ORR they decided the right solution for this level crossing was to keep the half barriers. At this stage we don't know what went wrong on this accident and we are investigating. Based on the information we receive we will make a decision about this level crossing and focus on learning about what happens at these crossings."

He added installing bridges at every one of the 6,500 UK^▸ (United Kingdom) level crossings was unaffordable.

A spokesman from the ORR said it could not comment on the Beech Hill case while an investigation was ongoing but admitted all levels crossings posed a level of risk. He said: "ORR wants the rail industry to close level crossings, but where this is impracticable, is pushing the industry to deliver innovative solutions such as the development of new technology to make crossings safe for all users."

The British Transport Police and Rail Accident Investigation are continuing their inquiries into the cause of Tuesday's accident.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Rail Accident Investigation Branch website:

Fatal accident at Beech Hill level crossing near Finningley, 4 December 2012

At 12:31 hrs on Tuesday 4 December 2012 a collision occurred between a passenger train and a car at Beech Hill automatic half barrier (AHB) level crossing near Finningley, between Gainsborough and Doncaster. One of the occupants of the car, a four year old child, was seriously injured in the collision and later died in hospital.

The train involved was the 11:54 hrs service from Lincoln to Doncaster, operated by East Midlands Trains. It consisted of a single carriage unit and was travelling at 60 mph at the time of the collision. None of the 20 passengers and two crew members on the train was injured in the accident. Equipment beneath the train was damaged in the collision leading to the spillage of diesel fuel from the train^s fuel tank, but there was no fire.

The level crossing was fitted with a data logger that showed that the crossing was operating normally at the time of the accident, with the barriers lowered as the car approached. The weather was sunny at the time of the collision but there had been rain showers earlier and the road surface was wet. The car was travelling in the north to south direction over the crossing when it drove through a barrier and into the path of the approaching train.

The RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch)^s investigation will identify the sequence of events leading up to the accident, assess the likely impact of glare from the sun on the actions of the car driver and consider the conspicuity of the crossing equipment (barriers and lights). The investigation will also consider whether the design of the road signs and equipment at automatic crossings is appropriate and whether it could be improved. The investigation will take into account the findings of previous RAIB investigations into:
- the accident at Wraysholme level crossing (report 26/2009);
- the accident at Halkirk level crossing (report 16/2010); and
- the safety of automatic open level crossings (report 12/2011).

The RAIB^s investigation is independent of any investigations by the safety authority (the Office of Rail Regulation) and the British Transport Police.

The RAIB will publish a report, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of its investigation. This report will be available on the RAIB website.

[Chris from Nailsea]

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

Level crossing death crash car 'driven through barrier'

A crash between a car and a train which killed a four-year-old girl happened after the car she was in was driven through a barrier and into the path of the train, an investigation has found.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch said records for the level crossing in Misson Springs, Nottinghamshire, showed barriers lowered as the car approached.

The funeral of Emma Lifsey, from North Lincolnshire, was held on Tuesday.

The 67-year-old woman driving the car received neck injuries.

Emma was airlifted to Sheffield Children's Hospital following the collision at the Beech Hill crossing, near the South Yorkshire border, on 4 December, but she died the next day.

An RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) report released ahead of its investigation on Tuesday said it would be considering whether the design of road signs and equipment at automatic crossings was appropriate and whether it could be improved.

It said it would be taking into account previous accidents at Wraysholme in Cumbria and Halkirk in Caithness.

The RAIB said its investigation intended to identify the sequence of events leading up to the crash, assess the likely impact of glare from the sun on the actions of the car driver and consider the conspicuousness of equipment such as barriers and lights.

It also said there had been rain showers earlier in the day and the road surface was wet.

A report by Network Rail in 2011 had identified the level crossing as needing improvement but the company said the Office of Rail Regulation later decided to shelve the project.

The Network Rail report said the Beech Hill crossing was "no longer suitable for half barriers" and proposed installing full barriers in April 2013.

The RAIB said its report was to be independent of any investigations by the safety authority (the Office of Rail Regulation) and the British Transport Police.

[BerkshireBugsy]

From the Beeb web site...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20774495

Apologies if this has been posted by others today

Dave

[Chris from Nailsea]

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch have now published their report on this sad incident, on their website:

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch)) has released its report into a collision between a car and a train at Beech Hill level crossing, near Finningley, 4 December 2012.  The RAIB has made four recommendations.

Summary

At 12:31 hrs on Tuesday 4 December 2012 a collision occurred between a passenger train and a car at Beech Hill automatic half barrier (AHB) level crossing near Finningley, on the line between Gainsborough and Doncaster. One of the occupants of the car, a young child, was seriously injured in the collision and later died in hospital.

The train involved was operated by East Midlands Trains. It consisted of a single carriage unit and was travelling at 60 mph (96 km/h) at the time of the collision. None of the 20 passengers and two crew members on the train was injured in the accident. Equipment beneath the train was damaged in the collision leading to the spillage of diesel fuel from the train^s fuel tank, but there was no fire.

The level crossing was owned and maintained by Network Rail and was fitted with a data logger which showed that the crossing was operating normally at the time of the accident, with the barriers down as the car approached. The car driver stated that she did not see that the road traffic light signals (known as wig-wags) were flashing as she approached and only noticed the lights and barriers when she was very close to the crossing. The weather was sunny at the time of the collision but there had been rain showers earlier and the road surface was wet, leading to glare from the low winter sun.

The RAIB took the wig-wag units and arranged for testing in an optical laboratory. It was found that they were fitted with 36 W lamps and an obsolete design of red lens unit. Their light output was measured to be well below the specification for lights of this type. Network Rail had no plans in place to replace the light units with brighter ones and had no process to identify that such replacement was necessary.

The RAIB has made four recommendations as follows:
- infrastructure managers to determine which level crossings are fitted with 36 W lamps and draw up plans for their replacement with LED units;
- infrastructure managers to devise a method of assessing the risk of a bright background and glare preventing wig-wag signals from being seen and propose means of mitigating this;
- infrastructure managers to introduce a new ^brighter^ type of LED wig-wag for use at sites where sunlight glare has been identified as a problem; and
- infrastructure managers to enhance the inspection and maintenance process for wig-wag lamps.