Man, 72, died after being struck by 4 Tube trains when he tripped off platform & was mistaken for ‘inflatable doll’
A PENSIONER died after being struck by four Tube trains when he tripped off the platform and was mistaken for an "inflatable doll".
Brian Mitchell has been captured on CCTV at Stratford Station moments before his tragic fall.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said the driver of one of the trains reported seeing an inflatable doll on the tracks and continued as normal.
The 72-year-old was killed in the incident at the eastern terminus of the Jubilee line on Boxing Day 2023.
Shortly before 2pm, he got off a train at the station and sat on a platform bench for 48 minutes.
He then stood up and stumbled forwards, falling onto the tracks.
READ MORE NEWS
Around five minutes later, he was struck by an arriving train, which then stopped as normal in the platform.
Three further trains passed over where he was lying before London Underground staff finally suspended services.
When the emergency services arrived at the scene, Mr Mitchell was found to have been fatally injured.
A post-mortem examination found he had a blood alcohol concentration of 272 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, which is more than three times above the drink-drive limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Most read in The Sun
The RAIB said there were no other passengers or staff on the platform when he fell, and the driver of the first train did not see him.
This was "possibly" because the use of an automatic system to control Jubilee line trains reduced their level of attention, the report stated.
They may also have been "distracted" by the presence of another staff member standing on the platform as they arrived.
The RAIB said the "consequences of the accident were made more severe" because the driver of the second train also did not see Mr Mitchell.
After running over the passenger, the third train's driver left their cab as normal and entered a staff area for a "personal needs break".
Six minutes after stopping the train, they contacted a control room to report they had seen an inflatable doll on the tracks.
A customer service assistant on the platform failed to stop the fourth train despite seeing Mr Mitchell.
The train driver also recognised there was a person on the tracks.
The RAIB recommended that London Underground considers the use of technology that can warn trains if it detects a passenger is in a dangerous position.
It also called on the organisation to assess how drivers may be affected by trains using automatic systems.
Lilli Matson, chief safety officer for Transport for London - which is responsible for London Underground, said its "thoughts remain with the family and friends of Mr Mitchell."
She went on: "We welcome the recommendations from the RAIB's independent investigation into this incident, which align with the findings of our own internal investigation, and work has already begun to implement them.
"We will always strive to learn from incidents and improve operational safety, including by ensuring relevant regulatory bodies are immediately informed, carrying out thorough and extensive internal investigations and prioritising taking action on any recommendations from any review.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
"While serious injuries on our network are rare, we are undertaking a huge range of work to eradicate such incidents and make the network even safer for everyone."
Do you know more? Email [email protected]