Boy (11) dies after sustaining 'serious electrical burns' at rail depot

[kevconnor]

AN 11-YEAR-OLD boy has died after he sustained “serious electrical burns” at a rail depot near Daventry in Northamptonshire.

In a statement, British Transport Police said officers were called to the Daventry International Rail Freight Depot shortly before 5.20pm today and attended alongside paramedics from the East Midlands Ambulance Service.

“Upon arrival, a young boy was discovered at the scene with serious electrical burns. Paramedics, including the air ambulance, worked on the young boy but he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

“His death is being treated as unexplained whilst extensive enquiries are made to understand what happened,” the statement said.

Detective Inspector Gareth Davies of BTP said: “Our thoughts are with the family of this young boy during what must be an incredibly difficult time. I have specially trained officers supporting the family as they try to come to terms with this awful news.

“Therefore, I would be looking to hear from anyone who may have seen a young boy enter this depot at around 5pm.

“If you were in the area or have any information, no matter how small, please do get in touch as soon as possible. The family will be desperate for answers and we will be working tirelessly to get them answers they will be seeking,” Davies said.

Source: http://www.thejournal.ie/boy-dies-at-rail-depot-3467274-Jun2017/

There will inevitably be questions raised regarding this but for now thoughts and prayers are with this young persons family and friends in what is clearly a very tragic event.

 

[Tetchytyke]

It's only going to get worse as we get into the summer holidays.

Of course we have to question how (and why) he got into the terminal, and it is very sad. But this is just yet another poster boy for not messing about with trains.

 

[XDM]

Sadly another statistic showing 25kv is more of a killer than the much vilified but simple third rail. Very few survive 25 kv contact or even being within centimetres of the line, 750v dc is often survivable, but do not try it. And third rail is so much cheaper & less disruptive to instal & perfect for passenger trains up to 100 mph.

Note: if anyone wants to reply to this point, please use the Comparison of safety between overhead line vs third rail electrification systems thread

 

[NSEFAN]

Sadly another statistic showing 25kv is more of a killer than the much vilified but simple third rail. Very few survive 25 kv contact or even being within centimetres of the line, 750v dc is often survivable, but do not try it. And third rail is so much cheaper & less disruptive to instal & perfect for passenger trains up to 100 mph.

The electrification system is irrelevant. An active railway is a dangerous place regardless of overhead or DC. Children should not be playing there.

 

[Joe Paxton]

What does the railway do these days in terms of educational outreach (i.e. on the dangers of playing on the tracks etc)?

 

[Tractor37]

Police and Network Rail still do school visits but aren't allowed to show pictures/photos of what the after effects are of coming up into contact with the overheads due to their graphical nature.

 

[sarahj]

Police and Network Rail still do school visits but aren't allowed to show pictures/photos of what the after effects are of coming up into contact with the overheads due to their graphical nature.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJmKStqugMc

 

[RichmondCommu]

Police and Network Rail still do school visits but aren't allowed to show pictures/photos of what the after effects are of coming up into contact with the overheads due to their graphical nature.

My wife does school visits and echos what you say. However I think its a shame as its an image that stays in children's heads and its that image that might stop children playing on railway property.

 

[GB]

Whats stopping the parents talking to their children?

 

[rebmcr]

Whats stopping the parents talking to their children?

More relevantly, what's not causing the parents to do so.

 

[TheEdge]

More relevantly, what's not causing the parents to do so.

Probably a general lack of understanding of how leathal railways are.

 

[Willr2094]

Latest news about this incident - apparently he was playing on the railway with friends and touched the 25kv overhead catenary.

http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2017-06-28/police-name-11-year-old-electrocuted-on-railway-track-while-out-with-friends/##

Harrison Ballantyne died at the Daventry International Rail Freight Depot shortly after 5pm on Tuesday afternoon, when he came into contact with electricity from an overhead line.

It's not yet known how the group of friends ended up on the railway tracks.

It's not the first time officers have dealt with trespassers on the tracks near Daventry.

 

[najaB]

Latest news about this incident - apparently he was playing on the railway with friends and touched the 25kv overhead catenary.

And that is what the focus should be on preventing, rather than arguing the merits of the different means by which the railway is electrified.

 

[HLE]

Horrible to read. Just shows that the railway will never be a playground and why. Feel for the family.

Wish they'd also teach people, particuarly journalists that high voltage alone isn't dangerous - if the 25kv OLE only had a few mA as the current, then it wouldn't harm you in the slightest. Unless the physics lectures back in the day were wrong...

 

[Bromley boy]

Because its quite possible to "walk away" from a third rail shock, which means no news story for some idiot in hospital. 25kV will almost always cook anyone who comes in contact with it, and thats a news story when a kid gets killed.

But as najaB says that's irrelevent. Stay off the bloody railway.

If you put "railway wire accident" into YouTube the top two results are not for the faint hearted, and speak 1,000 words on the subject of why you shouldn't go anywhere near a wire with 25kv potential difference flowing through it (I know current rather than voltage is what flows, but you know what I mean).

I hope this sad episode doesn't result in the usual blame game and finger-pointing towards the railway. Any 11yo's parents should have made very clear the sheer bloody stupidity of going anywhere near the modern, highly lethal, railway.

 

[cin88]

What does the railway do these days in terms of educational outreach (i.e. on the dangers of playing on the tracks etc)?

In my case, none for the entirety of my school days, despite over half of the secondary school's pupils living near or otherwise having to walk home near to the line between Manchester and Bolton, some even using Kearsley station as a shortcut/steep hill avoiding measure.

Luckily for me my dad is a driver so I had "don't go anywhere near the railway" drummed into me from a very early age.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Sadly another statistic showing 25kv is more of a killer than the much vilified but simple third rail. Very few survive 25 kv contact or even being within centimetres of the line, 750v dc is often survivable, but do not try it. And third rail is so much cheaper & less disruptive to instal & perfect for passenger trains up to 100 mph.

Daventry is on the Northampton loop of the WCML which is most definitely a 100+mph railway. Your point is therefore irrelevant to this particular incident. Unless of course you believe trains should not in fact run at such speeds at all...

 

[jonathan01n]

I hope the kid will rest in peace and hope his parents can recover from this grief soon

 

[robertclark125]

About seven years ago, there was a similar incident at Allerton depot in Liverpool, where two young boys were in the depot. One of them climbed onto a train, and the power current jumped and sadly killed him. I was on holiday in Southport at the time, so knew about the incident when reading it on the Echo website.

 

[furnessvale]

About seven years ago, there was a similar incident at Allerton depot in Liverpool, where two young boys were in the depot. One of them climbed onto a train, and the power current jumped and sadly killed him. I was on holiday in Southport at the time, so knew about the incident when reading it on the Echo website.

Indeed, and for "allowing" this youth to enter the depot, climb onto the top of a wagon and touch the wires, EWS were fined £180,000!

 

[al78]

Whats stopping the parents talking to their children?

How do you know if they have or haven't?

Giving advice to someone doesn't automatically mean they will take it, even if it is solid advice. Both children and adults are capable of ignoring good advice (I'm so much better, accidents only happen to other people attitude, for example), sometimes with nasty consequences.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't force it to drink.

 

[DelW]

Wish they'd also teach people, particuarly journalists that high voltage alone isn't dangerous - if the 25kv OLE only had a few mA as the current, then it wouldn't harm you in the slightest. Unless the physics lectures back in the day were wrong...

I was always taught "it's volts that jolts, but mils [milliamps] that kills". And yes, I know the current needs to be a bit higher than milliamps to be fatal, but it has to rhyme...

 

[DarloRich]

And that is what the focus should be on preventing, rather than arguing the merits of the different means by which the railway is electrified.

exactly!

Indeed, and for "allowing" this youth to enter the depot, climb onto the top of a wagon and touch the wires, EWS were fined £180,000!

NO - they were fined for failing to ensure adequate health and safety precautions were in place to stop someone entering the site who had no business being there.

How do you know if they have or haven't?

Giving advice to someone doesn't automatically mean they will take it, even if it is solid advice. Both children and adults are capable of ignoring good advice (I'm so much better, accidents only happen to other people attitude, for example), sometimes with nasty consequences.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't force it to drink.

exactly - and kids will always try and mess around in places they shouldn't be because ( being kids) they don't understand the real risks whether that be abandoned houses, the school roof or a railway depot.

it is up to the owners of those sites to make it as hard as possible for unauthorised people to enter places they shouldn't be.

 

[HLE]

I was always taught "it's volts that jolts, but mils [milliamps] that kills". And yes, I know the current needs to be a bit higher than milliamps to be fatal, but it has to rhyme...

Love it.

 

[AM9]

I was always taught "it's volts that jolts, but mils [milliamps] that kills". And yes, I know the current needs to be a bit higher than milliamps to be fatal, but it has to rhyme...

No it doesn't. A few tens of milliamps can kill a healthy person, especially DC where there is more chance of them being unable to release themselves.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

BR ran the very successful Roald Dahl rail safety campaign , and despite privatisation , in my days at North London , and my friends at Thameslink did quite a lot to ram the safety message over with school visits and information packs etc. We concentrated on inner London for obvious reasons. All well received I have to say.

My own children attended safety briefings at school and went to a "hazard alley" place in MK , they know / knew well enough about railway safety risks.

 

[TheEdge]

BR ran the very succesfull Raol Dahl rail safety campaign , and despite privatisation , in my days at North London , and my friends at Thameslink did quite a lot to ram the safety message over with school visits and information packs etc. We concentrated on inner London for obvious reasons. All well received I have to say.

My own children attended safety briefings at school and went to a "hazard alley" place in MK , they know / knew well enough about railway safety risks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roald_Dahl's_Guide_to_Railway_Safety

I had a copy of it many years ago, a different and arguably better approach to getting kids to understand railway safety.

 

[chris89]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roald_Dahl's_Guide_to_Railway_Safety

I had a copy of it many years ago, a different and arguably better approach to getting kids to understand railway safety.

Agree with that. Got my copy still somewhere as well, really should dig it out.

Chris

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It appears that young people were fascinated by the rail network from the very early days and took many chances with their lives. The fact that deaths occur seem to pose no deterrent as there are new crops of youngsters every year who seem to have no knowledge whatsoever of any previous deaths and just "live for the moment", this very unfortunately being naught but a very sad fact of life.