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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Girl is killed on level crossing | Girl is killed on level crossing |
| (about 22 hours later) | |
| A girl has been killed in an incident on a level crossing on a railway line in south Wales. | A girl has been killed in an incident on a level crossing on a railway line in south Wales. |
| The driver of a Swansea-bound train reported hitting the girl, believed to be in her mid-teens, at Pencoed in Bridgend county at 2150 BST on Friday. | The driver of a Swansea-bound train reported hitting the girl, believed to be in her mid-teens, at Pencoed in Bridgend county at 2150 BST on Friday. |
| The incident involved the 1915 London Paddington service, which had been travelling at 85mph (136km/h). | The incident involved the 1915 London Paddington service, which had been travelling at 85mph (136km/h). |
| Police said the girl's death appeared to be a "tragic accident" and an investigation is under way. | Police said the girl's death appeared to be a "tragic accident" and an investigation is under way. |
| British Transport Police said the train driver saw someone on the crossing, sounded his horn and applied the emergency brakes but was unable to stop. | British Transport Police said the train driver saw someone on the crossing, sounded his horn and applied the emergency brakes but was unable to stop. |
| The train, with some 50 passengers on board, came to a halt just past Pencoed station. | The train, with some 50 passengers on board, came to a halt just past Pencoed station. |
| I don't think it was intentional. I think it was one of those things that went wrong Shelly Thomas, eyewitness | |
| Temporary Detective Inspector Mark Cleland added: "The death is not being treated as suspicious and appears to have been a tragic accident." | Temporary Detective Inspector Mark Cleland added: "The death is not being treated as suspicious and appears to have been a tragic accident." |
| The parents of the girl, who came from the Bridgend area, were due to formally identify her body later. | The parents of the girl, who came from the Bridgend area, were due to formally identify her body later. |
| An eyewitness to the collision said she would "not wish the experience on anybody". | |
| Shelly Thomas, 26, from Pencoed, was leaving a taxi rank near the station at the time. | |
| She said: "I heard what sounded like an argument going on outside. I thought nothing of it because there is a pub opposite. | |
| "As I went outside I saw a young girl getting hit by a train. I grabbed my mobile phone and went back out and as I got there a guy had stopped in a car and placed a jacket over her. | |
| "I was on the phone to police and the ambulance and as they came I went from there." | |
| She added: "The only thing I noticed was a group of kids on bikes because the gates were down and a young girl that was screaming. | |
| "I was in shock and nothing actually registered until later on." | |
| Cameras | |
| According to Bridgend county councillor and Pencoed town councillor Richard Williams, there had been repeated questions raised over the safety of the rail barrier after it was automated a number of years ago. | |
| "It is true to say there have been concerns on the town council regarding the safety of this crossing and the reason for that is that some people, particularly elderly people, have found the gates coming down when they are still crossing. | |
| "I did go to the control centre in Port Talbot to see what they could see on the screen because there are cameras at the level crossing," he said. | |
| He called for a thorough investigation by the police and extended condolences to the victim's family and friends and also to those who witnessed the incident. | |
| A Network Rail spokesman said: "The train was going at full line speed. There was nothing the driver could do. | A Network Rail spokesman said: "The train was going at full line speed. There was nothing the driver could do. |
| "The level crossing barriers had come down so they were working safely and the driver could not stop." | "The level crossing barriers had come down so they were working safely and the driver could not stop." |
| The spokesman line was closed until just before midnight to allow an examination of the scene to be carried out. | The spokesman line was closed until just before midnight to allow an examination of the scene to be carried out. |
| One service was cancelled and another service was terminated early. | One service was cancelled and another service was terminated early. |