Man hit by train in Gloucestershire dies (10 June 2010)

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

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

A man died when he was struck by a passenger train on the line near Cam and Dursley station, Gloucestershire.
Trains were delayed while British Transport Police (BTP^▸ (British Transport Police)) investigated the death, which is not being treating it as suspicious.
A BTP spokesman said the man was struck by the 0600 Manchester Piccadilly to Bristol Temple Meads service just before 0845 BST on Thursday.
"Inquiries are ongoing to establish the man's identity," he added.

From thisisgloucestershire:

Body found after train hits "hard object"

A person has been struck by a train travelling through Gloucestershire.
Passengers travelling on the 8.25 cross country service from Gloucester to Bristol Temple Meads were told they faced delays after the train struck a "large hard object" near Cam and Dursley station.
British transport police confirmed there had been a fatality on the tracks, but said it was too early to know the identity of the deceased.
The collision happened at approximately 8.50am.
Trains running between Gloucester and Bristol Temple Meads have been delayed while county and transport police investigate the scene.
A spokesman for First Great Western trains said: "We are arranging road transport for people travelling on this route for the time being and hope to have the line back up and running later this morning."

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the gazetteseries:

Local man dead after being hit by train at Cam and Dursley Station

More details have emerged about a man who died after he was struck by a train at Cam and Dursley Station.
Police believe he was a 56-year-old from the local area. He was hit by the 6am Manchester Piccadilly to Bristol Temple Meads train passing through Cam at around 8.45am yesterday. A spokesman for British Transport Police, who attended the scene said: "BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) and Gloucestershire Police attended the line near to Cam and Dursley railway station, Box road, Dursley, after a man was struck by a train. The incident is currently being treated as non-suspicious. Paramedics from Great Western Ambulance Service also attended but the man was pronounced dead at the scene."

 

[James158]

I hate hearing of fatalities on the line. Trains pass through Cam & Dursley at very high speed. A CrossCountry goes through at about 100mph. So it is not suprising. Why do people do it? Is it because people want to kill themselves.

It happens a lot on the London Paddington line because the HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s pass through all the intermediate stations so fast.

[John R]

I hate hearing of fatalities on the line. Trains pass through Cam & Dursley at very high speed. A CrossCountry goes through at about 100mph. So it is not suprising. Why do people do it? Is it because people want to kill themselves.

I think that's a fairly safe assumption to make in the vast majority of cases. For information, there are around 15 suicides a day in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom), with males 3 times as likely as females to commit suicide. In 2008 the rate picked up after several years of decline, maybe because of the recession.

It doesn't happen on the Paddington line because trains go so fast. It's because for whatever reason, there is a greater proportion of the population in some of those areas who feel desperate enough to want to end their lives. There are reputed to be demographic reasons for this, though I'm not sure they are proven. And of course, a high speed railway presents an obvious way out.   

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Bristol Evening Post:

'Resigned' look on face at rail suicide

A keen railway enthusiast had a "look of resignation" on his face as he stepped to his death ^ in front of a 100mph train, an inquest heard.

DHL delivery driver Tony Percival put up an 'unfailingly cheerful' facade in public but was a troubled man deeply affected by the deathbed rejection of his dying father, jurors were told.

He had lost his mother when he was in his teens and the recent death of the aunt who had cared for him had also affected him, the Cheltenham inquest heard.

The jury returned a suicide verdict on 56-year-old Mr Percival, of Eros close, Stroud, who also had an inherited home at Lawrence Weston, Bristol.

He died when he was hit by a train on the Bristol-Birmingham line near Dursley. Mr Percival took his life despite having been in a seemingly happy relationship with a new partner, the jury of eight men and three women heard.

Mr Percival worked out of the DHL depot in Avonmouth, and was well-known to many in Bristol.

The keen railway enthusiast died near Cam and Dursley station on June 6 last year and was identified by his fingerprints.

The inquest was told the train driver David Knight had a clear view ahead but after glancing down at his speedometer, he looked back up to see a man standing between the rails. He saw the man "glance resignedly back" over his shoulder just before the impact.

The inquest heard that Mr Percival had had a number of failed relationships after his marriage to his wife Carol broke down.

She said he had been very close to his mother, but did not get on with his dad.

"He used to say he had always lost everyone close to him, and would not let others get too close because he feared getting hurt."

Summing up, deputy Gloucestershire coroner David Dooley said the loss of his mother and then later of his aunt, plus the rejection by his dying father, had had a profound effect on him.

The jury returned a verdict that Mr Percival had taken his own life.

The date quoted in this article is incorrect: it was in fact 10 June 2010.