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Girl hit by train after drinking Girl hit by train after drinking
(about 2 hours later)
A 16-year-old girl shared a bottle of red wine with her 13-year-old friend before being killed by a train, an inquest has heard. A girl of 16 died after being hit by a train when she walked onto a rail track after drinking vodka and wine with friends, an inquest has heard.
Sophie Harris died in June 2008 after being clipped by a high speed train at Pencoed near Bridgend on the main line between London and Swansea. An accidental death verdict was returned on Sophie Harris who died in June 2008 at Pencoed near Bridgend.
The inquest in Aberdare heard Sophie, from Bridgend, was impaired by alcohol when she was struck by the train. The inquest jury in Aberdare heard Sophie, from Bridgend, was almost double the drink-drive limit.
The inquest jury returned a verdict of accidental death. The teenager shouted to a friend who warned her a train was coming "Don't worry, it's not going to hit me".
When the inquest was first opened a week after her death on 13 June, the hearing was told that onlookers desperately shouted at her to get off the track as the train approached. Chelsea Davies, 13, told police how she fell onto the main south Wales to London line and Sophie jumped down to follow her, the inquest heard.
At the opening of the inquest, Det Insp Mark Cleland of British Transport Police said: "Sophie had followed her friend onto the track. Chelsea, who had been drinking red wine with Sophie, said: "I shouted to her: Get off the track there is a train coming."
"When they got to the level crossing her friend jumped over the barriers to safety but Sophie was a good few seconds behind her. I can recall Sophie looking round and seeing the train approaching, but then it hit he Sophie's best friend Ceri-Anne Ryan
"People waiting to cross shouted at Sophie to get off the tracks. Whether she was aware or not that the train was coming I don't know. But the drunk teenager ignored the warning and seconds later she was killed by the 85mph train as her friends shouted at her to watch out.
"The train driver saw her and tried to stop but it was too late and the train struck her." Tina Harris told the inquest her daughter has started drinking vodka in the months before she died. Three months before, she had been taken to hospital after collapsing due to the amount of alcohol she had consumed.
Sophie died at the scene. She said: "Sophie was a vivacious, lively young lady with many friends.
"She was great with children and had started a childcare course but was not attending because of her habitual socialising."
The cause of death was given as blunt head injuries.
The train came to a halt just past Pencoed station
A post mortem examination revealed Sophie had 157mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood.
Pathologist Dr Derek James said: "The level of alcohol was sufficient to affect Sophie's decision making, judgement and balance."
The inquest heard how the group knew a train was coming because the automatic level crossing in the village had closed and an alarm was sounding.
Sophie's best friend Ceri-Anne Ryan: "I was shouting for them both to get off the tracks.
"Chelsea had noticed the train and did get off the tracks. There were people on the platform all shouting.
"I can recall Sophie looking round and seeing the train approaching, but then it hit her.
Warning shouts
Another teenager Gethin Williams had seen the two girls drinking earlier in the evening and then saw them on the railway track.
He said: "I shouted: 'Chelsea get off the track. Don't be so stupid'.
"I could hear the train coming and Chelsea walked off the track.
"But the other girl carried on walking down the track and I saw her look behind and try to move away from the track. But the impact of the train hit her and she was killed."
Christian Davies who was driving the Paddington Great Western express train as it approached Pencoed, said: "I blew the horn and applied the emergency brakes but the female on the track didn't respond and didn't move."