Boy killed on rail crossing 'distracted by phone'

"Investigators said CCTV footage appeared to show Jaiden walking towards the crossing, looking ahead and down at a "glowing object" almost certain to be the illuminated screen of a phone in his hands, with his coat hood pulled over his head. Analysis of his phone suggests a video clip was playing at the time of the accident. After seeing Jaiden start to cross the railway, the driver sounded the horn and applied the emergency brake."

"The RAIB said the accident happened because Jaiden did not perceive the risk associated with the train, probably because he was distracted by his phone. Jaiden, a pupil at the nearby Riddlesdown Collegiate secondary school, had regularly used the crossing on his way to and from school since starting there in September 2024, the RAIB said. Network Rail's most recent risk assessment of the location in May 2023 documented six near misses between 30 November 2018 and 9 February 2023."

An 11-year-old pupil was struck and killed by a Southern train at the Bourneview footpath crossing near Kenley while walking to school. The crossing lacked lights or barriers and required users to stop, look and listen before crossing. CCTV shows the boy holding a glowing object and wearing a hood; phone analysis indicates a video was playing. The train driver sounded the horn and applied emergency brakes but could not avoid the collision. The RAIB concluded the boy probably failed to perceive the risk due to phone distraction. Network Rail will install safety features and RAIB recommended targeted local railway safety lessons for schools.

Read at www.bbc.com