World · Europe · 4 hrs ago
Inquiry calls for changes after Amazon driver dies at rail crossing
A 23-year-old delivery driver died at a manual rail crossing near Teynham in Kent in July last year.
Brandon Hatcher was driving a van while delivering Amazon parcels when he entered the Bax crossing, where road users must open gates by hand.
An investigation found the signals may have led him to think it was safe to enter after opening the first gate, even though the exit gate was still closed.
Hatcher was on the tracks when a train approached; the driver braked but could not avoid hitting the van, and three passengers reported minor injuries.
The investigation said the signs and his training did not prepare him to use the crossing safely.
It called on Network Rail and the Department for Transport to review crossing design, laws and guidance, warning that another similar fatality is under investigation.
South Eastern Railway said it had changed the crossing layout and issued guidance for professional drivers, and would study the recommendations.
An inquiry found that the design of a type of manually operated railway crossing may put users at risk after Amazon delivery driver Brandon Hatcher was killed by a train.
The 23-year-old died at the Bax crossing near Teynham, Kent, in July last year.
Investigators said the crossing’s traffic lights almost certainly led him to think it was safe to enter before opening the exit gate.
They found that his training and guidance had not prepared him to use the crossing safely.
The inquiry called on Network Rail and the Department for Transport to review the crossing’s design, laws and guidance.
- Who
- Brandon Hatcher, a 23-year-old delivery driver working on behalf of logistics company GG Logistix and delivering Amazon parcels.
- What
- He was killed when a passenger train hit his van at a manually operated level crossing.
- When
- July last year.
- Where
- The Bax crossing near Teynham, Kent.
- Why
- Investigators said the crossing’s traffic light system almost certainly led him to believe it was safe to enter before opening the exit gate. They also found his training and guidance had not prepared him to use the crossing safely.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Brandon Hatcher was killed when a train hit his van at the Bax crossing near Teynham.
Another delivery driver, Simon Gettings, was killed by a Northern train at a manual crossing in Lancashire.
- Driver
- Brandon Hatcher, 23
- Crossing
- Bax crossing near Teynham, Kent
- Train speed
- 90mph
- Passenger injuries
- Three passengers reported minor injuries
- Inquiry recommendation
- Network Rail and the Department for Transport were asked to review the design, laws and guidance for this type of crossing.
1 source
What people are saying
Most road users are unfamiliar with this type of crossing and with how to use them safely.
to find effective ways to mitigate this obvious risk before there is further tragedy