Inquest Opens into Death of Man Hit by Train Near Burlescombe

A man died after being struck by a train near the village of Burlescombe, close to Wellington, in early December, a coroner has heard.

During an inquest, Devon coroner Philip Spinney was told that David Mark Richards, 45, from Wakefield and a senior lecturer in Devon, had been standing in the centre of the railway tracks when an Edinburgh to Plymouth service rounded a bend at speed and hit him. Emergency services attended the scene on 4 December, but Mr Richards was pronounced dead at the site.

Mr Spinney noted there was no suggestion that the man had fallen onto the tracks, and confirmed that the circumstances of the incident would be fully investigated. The coroner has adjourned the inquest, with a date for the next hearing yet to be set.

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