Girl In Heels Dies After Slipping Under Train

[Merseyrail]

Tragic Story RIP:

Tributes have been paid to a schoolgirl who died after slipping in her high heels and falling under a train while waving goodbye to her friends.

Megan Moore had just got off the train and was running alongside it, tapping on the window, when the accident happened on Saturday night.

Shocked witnesses described how she suddenly fell through the gap between the platform and the train at Angmering Station near Littlehampton, in West Sussex.

Emergency services were called, but the 16-year-old Angmering School pupil was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 19-year-old, who did not want to be named, said he saw his friend fall.

"She got off the train and started running and then she just suddenly slipped," he told The Argus.

"She was wearing high heels and she fell in the gap between the train and the platform. I don't know for what reason she was running.

"At one point she was literally in front of me and then seconds later she was on the track.

"Everyone had their head in their hands. Everyone was crying and screaming. Her best mate was just screaming. It was horrific. She was utterly distraught."

Megan's friends and family have left flowers at the station, and more than 1,500 people have joined a Facebook RIP group set up in tribute to her.

One message, from Anna Gillingham, said: "Rest in peace lovely, you will be deeply missed. You were always so happy but at least now you can rest up in heaven."

Another described her as "one of the kindest people ever".

Her school said in a statement: "We have been informed of the tragedy and staff and students are supporting each other at this difficult time."

A British Transport Police spokesman said: "The incident was reported to police at 11.57pm and is being treated as non-suspicious.

"It appears that the girl was running alongside the train, tapping on the window as it left the platform, when she slipped between the platform and the train, which was the 2217 London Victoria-to-Bognor Regis service.

"The train performed an emergency stop and halted still partly in the platform."

He added that officers were working to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the incident and appealed for anyone with information to call 0800 40 50 40.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20091123/tuk-girl-in-heels-dies-after-slipping-un-45dbed5.html

 

[ungreat]

The times I have shouted at passengers NOT to do this as I pull away.Do they listen? No.

 

[O L Leigh]

Seconded.

Yesterday I had someone on a pushbike choose the moment that I was pulling into the station to pop a wheelie. What a bloody eejit. If he'd lost control he'd have been right off the platform edge directly in front of me.

You tell these idiots time and time again but they never listen. They think they know better. They think we're being nannying and spoiling their fun. They think it will never happen to them. Well good luck to the lot of them.

As the founder of the Darwin Awards says on her website, sometimes the gene pool needs a little chlorination. Should the worst happen I'll be professional and do whatever is required of me, but you won't see me shedding any tears. If you take a risk you should expect that sometimes you will get it wrong and have to live with (or die by) the consequences.

O L Leigh

 

[jonnorail]

sad to read that waste of a life and for what? having a good time which was the girls last

Best Regards

Jonathan McGurk

Railway and Freelance Photographer

www.jonathanmcgurk.fotopic.net

 

[Dai.]

Rest in Peace, I hope her family and friends are okay with it.

on a second note, you shouldn't run next to a moving train. I get nervous standing near a stopped train!

 

[Geezertronic]

I get nervous standing near a stopped train!

That's surely a bit of an over-reaction isn't it? Why on earth would you get nervous next to a stationary train?

 

[Aictos]

Yes she might have been having some fun but it came at a deadly price - her life.

 

[jon0844]

If you take a risk you should expect that sometimes you will get it wrong and have to live with (or die by) the consequences.

I know some people will slag both of us off for being uncaring, but I am in total 100% agreement with you here.

 

[thefab444]

Completely agree. Afterall, it was her decision to run alongside the train. Suprised the parents haven't tried to blame the train driver as yet?

 

[Fincra5]

Completely agree. Afterall, it was her decision to run alongside the train. Suprised the parents haven't tried to blame the train driver as yet?

Its sad, but i'm suprised the parents haven't blaimed gap between the train and the platfrom ( which is clearly noted to passengers). Like when those people blaimed the pipes next to bridge, when that kid fell off them onto the track whilst trying to tag a bridge.

 

[SouthEastern-465]

The times I have shouted at passengers NOT to do this as I pull away.Do they listen? No.

I would have to agree.

I have heard time after time again railway staff warning people not to not to run along trains but when no-one pays attention like this incident this happens and the cause of there death is blamed on someone else.

Although this has happened no one will pay attention and the same fate is awaiting some one else.

 

[EM2]

There was a story not long ago, where Silverlink (as was) was found to be at fault for someone slipping between the platform and train, and were fined quite a large amount.

 

[313103]

There was a story not long ago, where Silverlink (as was) was found to be at fault for someone slipping between the platform and train, and were fined quite a large amount.

Very true, and the company got fined even though the fault was 99.9% of the indivdual. The most annoying thing in this case was that the guard was found by the NON RAILWAY judge to be partially blamed, even though he was doing as instructed by the then Railtrack rules and instructions.

The issue with the Gunnersbury incident was that the person used one of these barsteward No win no fee companies and applied for it just one week before the 3 year time limit was up, bunch of criminals.:-x

 

[graham125hst]

Thats a really tragic story.

I think a lot of the time people don't think or are just not aware of any implications from actions they may do like this or riding bikes on platforms.

RIP

 

[Dai.]

That's surely a bit of an over-reaction isn't it? Why on earth would you get nervous next to a stationary train?

Because they are so big and powerful, I won't stand close to a train on a platform unless I'm boarding it.

 

[A60K]

Its sad, but i'm suprised the parents haven't blaimed gap between the train and the platfrom ( which is clearly noted to passengers). Like when those people blaimed the pipes next to bridge, when that kid fell off them onto the track whilst trying to tag a bridge.

Or the guy who died at Romford a few years ago (can be found on Google) after drinking six pints of beer then running alongside a departing train.

 

[Helvellyn]

It's unfortunately because of tragic incidents like this that we have yellow lines on platforms, warning signs and lots of announcements. Because sometimes common sense just seems to go out of the window.

Would you run down the hard shoulder on a motorway slip road waving goodbye at someone?

It always makes me cringe when you suddenly see someone sat on a platform edge, legs dangling. I think it was at Micheldever a few years back where a teenager was sat like that when a Voyager came through at linespeed. They didn't get their legs pulled out of the way in time, and they lost them (though they did survive I believe).

 

[37401]

ouch, when I was at tamworth some guy went racing up and down the platform on his bike, pulling wheelies on it. even after they said stand back from the platform edge he carried on riding like a idiot.

the only reason I didnt say anything was because he looked like a right thug

 

[ungreat]

I look like a thug,so I take this advantage to speak to passengers who act like dicks..usually works.I am always polite

 

[O L Leigh]

ouch, when I was at tamworth some guy went racing up and down the platform on his bike, pulling wheelies on it. even after they said stand back from the platform edge he carried on riding like a idiot.

There was a guy doing precisely that at Sawbridgeworth once.

I was tanking along at 80mph and saw him so whistled up. He dropped the front of the bike back onto the platform and threw a glance over his shoulder at me, but in doing so he veered towards the platform edge before correcting and jinking back again with just inches to spare. I nearly shat myself in fright as the guy came within an ace of losing his life.

Consequently I never whistle up to cyclists on platforms any more, as this guy wouldn't have come so close to the edge if he hadn't thrown a glance over his shoulder.

O L Leigh

 

[A60K]

I really feel for you - as a car driver I get a fright every now and then when someone does something daft in front of me. You however don't have the option to swerve or slam or the brakes to try and avoid them. I do wonder how these types of morons think it's funny to give drivers such heart-stopping moments.

 

[trainspotter375]

Seconded.
You tell these idiots time and time again but they never listen. They think they know better. They think we're being nannying and spoiling their fun. They think it will never happen to them. Well good luck to the lot of them.
O L Leigh

It never ceases to amaze me as to why people seem to think the railway station is some sort of playground.

For instance this week whilst approaching a station platform i could not believe my eyes to see a youth aged about 14 laid out flat on the platform on his back looking up at the sky with his legs over the edge. He soon got up a bit sharpish when i gave him a two tone blast... I felt like telling him exactly what i thought of his actions but whats the point, probably only get abuse back....

 

[Kernowfem]

I really feel for you - as a car driver I get a fright every now and then when someone does something daft in front of me. You however don't have the option to swerve or slam or the brakes to try and avoid them. I do wonder how these types of morons think it's funny to give drivers such heart-stopping moments.

Yeah, i was just thinking the same as you. I cant begin to imagine whats its like for train drivers at moments like the ones described in this thread,
I always remember about 18 years ago, being stood on newark northgate doncaster bound platform with my dad. There were two kids pratting about when one fell off the platform edge. Luckily he was quite nippy on his feet and managed to leg it down the line to the footcrossing at the end of the platform, just as a HST came through. I had nightmares for months after that (i was 14 at the time). Thing is i grew up having it drilled into me not to prat around on stations or near tracks, and certainly not to go anywhere near railways etc without my parents. Its common sense. sadly its something a lot of youngsters dont have these days...

However, a young lady lost her life in this case, and its terribly sad. My thoughts are with her family, friends who witnessed it, and the driver, who will i am sure be feeling it as much as anyone.

 

[Aictos]

It always makes me cringe when you suddenly see someone sat on a platform edge, legs dangling. I think it was at Micheldever a few years back where a teenager was sat like that when a Voyager came through at linespeed. They didn't get their legs pulled out of the way in time, and they lost them (though they did survive I believe).

Had that happen a few weeks ago, luckily there were no trains in the area but still I told the girl involved to get back onto the platform which she did,

Still it counted as a minor issue...

 

[466.networkers]

I've seen a very near miss at Kemsley - Class 66 freight train comes through at 60mph+, stupid youth sitting on the edge, legs dangling, a two tone later and he's scrambling away, looking scared as the 66 charges through at speed, god knows what would've happened.

 

[Old Timer]

This is a terribly sad story.

As someone who has a daughter, I know how even late teenage girls behave, and the situation leading up to the accident are not unfamiliar.

This is simply a case of someone who, in an excess of high spirits, has paid the supreme price.

We should all just be aware of this, as it is not a question of someone who was a scrote or an undesirable.

Some of the comments on here I find somewhat less than tasteful I have to say.

 

[Fgw+xc+swtconn]

That teaches you. 'when boarding the train please mind the gap between the train and the platform edge' Okay she wasn't boarding the train but still

RIP. Greatest Respects go to her nearest and dearest

 

[O L Leigh]

Some of the comments on here I find somewhat less than tasteful I have to say.

I'm truly sorry if any of my comments fall within this category and for any offence or upset they may have caused. However, I do not apologise for them nor will I retract them.

I agree that this is a tragedy and yet another sad waste of a young life. It was a terrible coincidence of factors that would not normally have provoked much interest or comment otherwise, as this poor girl's actions are not uncommon on stations throughout the UK.

However, after admittedly just a short time on the railways, I have learned that the responsibility of an individual for their own safety rests largely with the individual themselves. The railway takes great care to ensure that members of the public using the network are safeguarded, what with warning signs, announcements, painted platform markings and the like. If the public heed these the chances of them coming to any harm are dramatically reduced.

The problem is that the majority of incidents come about as a result of people disregarding these safeguards. Of the 70 people officially recorded as being killed on the railways during 2008 that were not attributed to suicide, 47 were trespassers and wilfully put themselves at risk, 5 were killed in incidents at stations, 10 pedestrians and 2 motorists were killed on level crossings, 3 were killed in incidents connected with bridges (2 falls and 1 electrocution) and the final 3 were staff killed in incidents associated with "maintenance of the way" activities. Of that total of 70 deaths, how many were preventable? By my own reckoning it's 3 industrial accidents and possibly one or two non-industrial accidents. The remainder were all preventable and probably would not have happened if only those people had taken a little more care about being on or near the railway.

It does annoy me when the railways are made to carry the can for deaths that were not really their responsibilty. On the routes I drive, we have already had one crossing closed completely following a double-fatality that the driver insists was as a consequence of horseplay rather than any failing of the crossing itself. Another crossing has been supplemented with a large footbridge as a consequence of another double-fatality, this time due to crossing misuse. Both crossings had adequate signage which, in the latter case, was backed up with an automatic system that warned of approaching trains. Why should this be the case?

OT: This has nothing to do with whether nor not someone is a "scrote" or an "undesirable". You and I both know that crossing abuse/misuse and other similarly risky activities are perpetrated by people of all stripes, so lets leave that to one side. Irrespective of who she was, this poor girl forfeit her life to demonstrate just how dangerous the railway environment is. In this respect she is little different from any of the others who went before her. Whether the "respectability" attributed to her carries any weight in making others think twice in considering their actions will remain to be seen. In the meantime, I think we can at least join in our dismay at yet another young promising life squandered through a lack of care or understanding with regard to the risks being taken by pursuing a certain course of action.

O L Leigh

 

[Old Timer]

OL Leigh

Hello Chap.

I hadn't aimed my comments specifically at you, but I was recalling mentally the situation when we last had this type of accidental death subject ealier in the year.

Again I don't think that we vary very much at all in our views, but having seen young girls act in a silly rather than a malicious manner I can believe that she was just taken over by an excess of the sort of high spirits that I suppose one could call "skittish" maybe.

All loss of life on the railway is to be regretted.

Suicides I nowadays feel sorry for, having met one or two people who have have suffered from depression, and indeed having had a very slight depressive reaction to some strong medication some years back. I can now understand at least some of their "logic", for in their own minds it IS logic.

Those who willfully go onto the Railway to do damage or for other less than genuine reasons, who abuse level crossings, or are deliberately playing around in effect are playing a game of Russian Roulette, which inevitably will result in their demise at some point of the period is extended suitably. I have very little sympathy for such people

With regards to people, mostly young, who do not go onto the Railway to cause trouble but who through some act of silliness or twist of fate end up being killed I think are in a slightly different character.

As you know, I have a daughter, and when she and her friends are about an otherwise quiet and empty house has a certain vibrancy that only late teeenage and girls in their early 20s girls can bring.

I related this to how this young girls family and indeed friends will be feeling today, and especially so close to Christmas.

Yes in the cold light of day what she did was silly.

Was it "bad" ? I dont think so

Was she ill-intentioned ? Again I doubt it, on the basis of information available she just let her high spirits take over, as young girls are wont to. If you challenge them later, they realise it was silly but then that is how girls are at that age.

Probably I have mellowed as the Autumn of my life has approached.