Two killed at a crossing near Horsham

[HoHoHo]

Very sadly as I cycled around the corner from Sumners Ponds just before 9am this morning a was greeted by what can only be described as a war zone.

I have honestly never seen anything like it. If you took a car and ripped it apart as best you could you wouldn’t do as good a job as the train had done. The remains of a car strewn along the track, a building on fire and other sights I’d rather not describe on this forum Memories of the Shoreham air crash flood back (sadly I was also there that day), I hoped I wouldn’t see such carnage again.

It was clear there was nothing I/we could do. I was asked if I had any medical training and I don’t but we could see it was simply a gesture from a train driver.

It would be wrong to speculate what has happened but what I can say is the barrier was down and yet a car was hit by a train. The barriers only cover half the road width and I just hope the driver didn’t drive around the barrier that was down hoping to get across the track a bit quicker. Why there aren’t two barriers to ensure cars can’t get across is beyond me.....more so today than any other day.

I understand a 72 year,old grandfather taking his grandson to football we’re both killed. RIP to both of you. I couldn’t do anything to help you but if I could have I would have done so

[HoHoHo]

Robertj21a said:

It seems that 2-3 trains were all passing through fairly close together. Presumably he knows the road well as I understand it's a fairly quiet back lane.

It would appear so bearing in mind there were two trains at the crossing.’

It’s a B road and very quiet, correct

[HoHoHo]

Had a pretty st night albeit not as st as some Got very drunk which actually didn’t help at all.

If’s and but’s are running through my head, why didn’t I at least go and see if there was any sign of life. I think I knew what was what and the fire was so intense with who knows what in that little building about to go pop and bang again and it would have been difficult to get to the young lad. It’s funny, in this day and age one doesn’t want to get too close in case you’re seen as interfering or just being nosey so I stood there and looked like a right plonka, just staring. I also know for-all about medicine so I didn’t think I could be of any help. One man shortly afterwards arrived and started to take pictures with his camera phone. I asked him to stop out of respect which he did but that’s what some do these days

How the emergency services cope I really don’t know, I guess you just get on with it and then go home and make dinner and give your loved ones a cuddle.

Edited by HoHoHo on Sunday 18th February 11:53

[HoHoHo]

Earthdweller said:

Advice

djc206 said:

Advice

Thanks and appreciated.

I was going to ride out to the crossing today as I felt the desire to have another look but thought better of it and washed the car!

I feel so sad for those close to both, it appears he was a local lad who was a talented sportsman......it’s such a tragedy.

[HoHoHo]

aeropilot said:

HoHoHo said:

Had a pretty st night albeit not as st as some Got very drunk which actually didn’t help at all.

If’s and but’s are running through my head, why didn’t I at least go and see if there was any sign of life. I think I knew what was what and the fire was so intense with who knows what in that little building about to go pop and bang again and it would have been difficult to get to the young lad. It’s funny, in this day and age one doesn’t want to get too close in case you’re seen as interfering or just being nosey so I stood there and looked like a right plonka, just staring. I also know for-all about medicine so I didn’t think I could be of any help. One man shortly afterwards arrived and started to take pictures with his camera phone. I asked him to stop out of respect which he did but that’s what some do these days

Actually, you did do something very useful stopping that man taking photos - so well done. Acting as a barrier to stop ghoulish gawping until emergency services arrive is often the best course of action, if there's nothing you can actually do otherwise. Helps preserve scene etc.
Have done the same myself.
My old man was a WW2 vet as well as doing 30 years service in the Met.Police so I grew up with service/Police 'black humour' as the way of coping with such events. People who haven't been in those situations on a regular basis think its being callous and disrespectful, but its often the best way to detach yourself from the situation.

I've since revisited the scene - I just felt the need to go back and see the crossing again. Had a good chat with the LTP and local bobbies who are involved.

I have also provided a witness statement and drawing to the police, there's a fairly interesting piece of evidence that I saw being moved prior to the police arriving and I needed to make them aware of such so they are aware what was where when it happened.

Still feel a bit st, the entire episode consumes your day and your evening, images of what happened are pretty grim. You forget momentarily and then bang it's all there again.

In some respects I'm glad I didn't try and help any more than I did, I'm not sure I'm strong enough to see what was there

[HoHoHo]

theboss said:

When you produced a drawing for the police, did it occur you that the “disrespectful” guy with the iPhone might have been doing something useful by taking immediate pics of the scene? I had somebody confront me in a similar manner when I took pics at a motor accident scene (I was on my way home from a wedding and had a DSLR on the passenger seat) - I pointed out that if the driver who had caused the accident by driving on the wrong side of the road decided to leave before the police turned up, they (the other party whose car was destroyed) might be grateful for the evidence I obtained. The police then asked for my pictures as cars had been moved between my photos and their arrival. Just saying - taking a few pics isn’t necessarily “ghoulish”.

To be honest I had a multitude of thoughts running through my mind, I was simply writing as it happened, he may well have evidence of interest.

At the time I was simply thinking of respect for the dead.

If I’m wrong, I’m sorry.

[HoHoHo]

saaby93 said:

There was a post a while back in a similar thread, specifying the min and max times the barriers should come down to avoid people getting into, 'these things are stuck again' and going around them

We dont know what happened here yet, but they were trying to get to a football match, and apparently barriers had been down for two trains when the third came through

I don’t think that’s what’s happened and I’ll try to explain as best I can.

The southbound train that hit the car was 300m down the line, there was a northbound train travelling in the opposite direction parked at the crossing.

Therefore in my tiny mind the following happened:

Gates go down, a train traveling south goes through the crossing.

Few minutes wait........

Man in car thinks nothing is happening and decides to go around gates because he got time to do so and car is hit by second train going south

Train coming north at approximately the same time (within 30 seconds) sees accident or aftermath and stops by crossing.

I therefore see train going south 300m away, train going north by the crossing.

Very sad

Edited by HoHoHo on Thursday 22 February 21:00

Edited by HoHoHo on Thursday 22 February 21:12

[HoHoHo]

saaby93 said:

Thanks Hohoho
That fits better
If there was a few minutes wait - thats longer than the rules previously posted, but we know it happens
Very sad

Clearly we don’t know exactly what happened however I have been questioned by the police about something that may have happened.

I don’t want to say any more currently because it may not be relevant but I’m totally confused.

Still can’t get the sight out of my mind.

Still feel so sad and guilty I couldn’t do more but at the time I didn’t think I could.

[HoHoHo]

rs1952 said:

0736 Victoria – Southampton passing time approx. 0834
0756 Bognor Regis – Victoria passing time approx. 0834
0736 Victoria – Bognor Regis passing time approx. 0838
0713 Southampton – Victoria passing time approx. 0840

The car appears to have been struck by the 0713 Southampton to Victoria, and the 0736 Victoria to Bognor was the one that managed to stop in time.

The train that hit the car was going south, not north.

I have exact times of my arrival under the bridge at Two Mile Ash and then at the crossing from my Strava account. I'm not sure I should publish those details just yet.

[HoHoHo]

rs1952 said:

HoHoHo said:

rs1952 said:

0736 Victoria – Southampton passing time approx. 0834
0756 Bognor Regis – Victoria passing time approx. 0834
0736 Victoria – Bognor Regis passing time approx. 0838
0713 Southampton – Victoria passing time approx. 0840

The car appears to have been struck by the 0713 Southampton to Victoria, and the 0736 Victoria to Bognor was the one that managed to stop in time.

The train that hit the car was going south, not north. would have been the

I have exact times of my arrival under the bridge at Two Mile Ash and then at the crossing from my Strava account. I'm not sure I should publish those details just yet.

I must have misread the details on the other aite - I thought they said the norrthbound train had the collision, So it must have been the other way round, with the 0756 Victoria to Bognor colliding and the 0713 Southampton to Victoria coming to a stand.

In other news from that site:

Mike M said:

Two internal sources have both indicated to me that the cause was zig zag. We will have to wait for the coroner and or RAIB to officially confirm. . If so, I guess that the car insurer can expect a very hefty bill, maybe running into 7 figures.

The train was definately travelling towards Billingshurst.

Who are the internal sources and why a 7 figure sum?

[HoHoHo]

FlyingFin said:

HoHoHo said:

Had a pretty st night albeit not as st as some Got very drunk which actually didn’t help at all.

If’s and but’s are running through my head, why didn’t I at least go and see if there was any sign of life. I think I knew what was what and the fire was so intense with who knows what in that little building about to go pop and bang again and it would have been difficult to get to the young lad. It’s funny, in this day and age one doesn’t want to get too close in case you’re seen as interfering or just being nosey so I stood there and looked like a right plonka, just staring. I also know for-all about medicine so I didn’t think I could be of any help. One man shortly afterwards arrived and started to take pictures with his camera phone. I asked him to stop out of respect which he did but that’s what some do these days

How the emergency services cope I really don’t know, I guess you just get on with it and then go home and make dinner and give your loved ones a cuddle.

Edited by HoHoHo on Sunday 18th February 11:53

We just become accustomed to death and carnage... we never get used to it.....


I still have a 'haunting' if thats the right word, that comes back to me time and time again.

A30... Surrey... Man versus 36 Tonne Tipper, Tipper won by squashing and cutting the man in half and I will leave the rest to your imaginations...

23 years later and I still feel guilty that I did nothing to assist the man apart from putting a blanket over him...

He was leaning on his left elbow, gasping his last as I approached him and had no lower half left... Massive head injuries... I was first on scene and even with my near Paramedic standard First Aid training... I could do absolutely nothing for him...


Its the doing nothing that gets to me..... But there was NOTHING that could be done to save him.


Even so, I still feel guilty...


Best advice to you? Don't blame yourself. You came across the incident and could not have prevented it from happening in any way.

But do talk about it, bottling it up wont help you to forget....

Appreciate the advice and I’m talking about it a lot.

As you say it’s the doing nothing that haunts me, why didn’t I have a look? At the time I summed up the entire situation and from my eyes there was nothing to be done....so why simply stare? The police have suggested I couldn’t have done anything, nothing at all. I also feel so sad for those involved. His mother heard the bang and visited the scene immediately after the crash but she didn’t see the car and went off to work. She then had a text during the morning whilst at work from the football coach asking where her son was.....she then realised that 2+2 = .......... OMG

I have one picture in my mind and I know it will fade but for the moment it’s there.....right there.

Fortunately I have a good wife and group of friends who are helping and understanding.