Man killed on Tube tracks was run over by four trains – report
Share:
A London Underground passenger who died after falling onto the tracks was repeatedly run over by trains, an investigation has found. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said the driver of one of the trains reported seeing an inflatable doll on the tracks and continued as normal.
Brian Mitchell, 72, was killed in the incident at Stratford station – the eastern terminus of the Jubilee line – on Boxing Day 2023. Shortly before 2pm, he got off a train at the station and sat on a platform bench for 48 minutes. He then stood up and stumbled forwards, falling onto the tracks.
Around five minutes later, he was struck by an arriving train, which then stopped as normal in the platform. Three further trains passed over where he was lying before London Underground staff finally suspended services. When the emergency services arrived at the scene, Mr Mitchell was found to have been fatally injured.
A post-mortem examination found he had a blood alcohol concentration of 272 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, which is more than three times above the drink-drive limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The RAIB said there were no other passengers or staff on the platform when he fell, and the driver of the first train did not see him.
This was “possibly” because the use of an automatic system to control Jubilee line trains reduced their level of attention, the report stated. They may also have been “distracted” by the presence of another staff member standing on the platform as they arrived.
