‘Obvious risk of further tragedy’ at rail crossing type at which Amazon driver died, inquiry finds
Call for overhaul of manually operated level crossings after delivery worker was killed by passenger train in Kent An Amazon delivery driver was killed by a train after he drove his van on to railway tracks at a manually operated level crossing, apparently without realising he needed to open the exit gate first, an official investigation has reported. Safety inspectors said there was “an obvious…
An official investigation has found that Brandon Hatcher, an Amazon delivery driver, was killed by a train at a manually operated level crossing in Kent due to an "obvious risk of further tragedy." The 23-year-old from Ashford drove his van onto the tracks at the Bax crossing near Teynham, apparently unaware that he needed to open the exit gate first.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report revealed that the traffic light system at the crossing may have misled Hatcher into believing it was safe to enter once the entry gate was open, despite the exit gate still being closed. Hatcher's van was parked when the lights turned red and alarms sounded, indicating an approaching train.
He opened the exit gate but not entirely, tried again, and was struck by a Southeastern train traveling at 90mph. Three train passengers also suffered minor injuries. The RAIB called for a complete overhaul of manually operated level crossings, urging Network Rail and the Department for Transport to review design, laws, and guidance around these crossings.
Another delivery driver, Simon Gettings, was also killed in a similar incident at a manual crossing in Lancashire. The rail regulator, ORR, pledged to ensure the lessons learned from these incidents are implemented to protect all those at the crossings.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
