Network Rail knew a level crossing posed an "unacceptable" risk before an elderly woman was struck and killed by a train there, an investigation has found. The 85-year-old victim, who was not named in The Rail Accident Investigation Branch's report, was walking on the footpath and bridleway crossing with a dog and pushing a wheeled trolley bag.
She started to cross the tracks after a train had passed, but was hit by a second out of service train travelling at 62mph in the opposite direction. The woman responded to hearing the second train’s horn by “hurrying forwards” but was “unable to get clear of the path of the train in time”, the report said.
The investigation found she was “apparently unaware that the second train was approaching” as it was “hidden behind the first train”. The RAIB said: “A probable underlying factor was that Network Rail had not provided any effective additional risk mitigation at the crossing, despite having previously deemed the risk to users to be unacceptable.”
