Inquest Rules Death Accidental After Man Hit by Multiple Jubilee Line Trains

A man who fell on to the tracks at a London Underground station while intoxicated before being hit by multiple Jubilee line trains died as the result of an accident, an inquest has ruled.

East London Coroner’s Court heard that Brian Mitchell, 72, was fatally struck by a train terminating at Stratford in east London at 14:50 GMT on 26 December 2023. Jurors were told that emergency brakes were not applied by any of the four train operators whose services entered the platform.

CCTV footage showed Mr Mitchell attempting to climb back on to the platform for around a minute from 14:45 before he appeared to lie down on the track. A toxicology report found he had 272mg of alcohol in his system, more than three times the legal driving limit.

The court heard that three of the four incoming Jubilee line trains that struck Mr Mitchell at platform 13 subsequently departed the station. After the initial fatal impact, further trains arrived at 14:56, 15:05 and 15:16. The jury concluded that the operator of the third train mistook Mr Mitchell’s body for an inflatable doll, while the fourth operator did not apply the emergency brake because they were in shock. No signal was given to stop incoming trains.

Addressing Mr Mitchell’s family, who attended the hearing virtually, the senior coroner spoke of the impact of the evidence presented.

Graeme Irvine, senior coroner for east London, said:

"I want to offer my sincere condolences to the family. All deaths are tragic in their own way: Brian's death is particularly harrowing and the CCTV is something I'll think about for a long time. The images probably compound the grief felt by the family and for that I'm truly sorry. We will respond to the coroner's prevention of future deaths report and are taking action to prevent incidents like this from happening again."

Following the conclusion of the inquest, Mr Mitchell’s family thanked the jury and coroner for what they described as a thorough investigation, saying they had found it “almost unbelievable” that he had been struck seven times.

Legal representatives for the family said the case raised serious concerns about safety procedures on the transport network.

Thomas Jervis, a partner from the law firm Leigh Day which represented the family, said:

"People who use the TfL network assume the right processes are in place to ensure safety. The coroner has been clear – he has ongoing concerns that further lives could be at risk, and he will be issuing a prevention of future deaths report. While this legal case will not bring Brian back, his family sincerely hope that meaningful change will be introduced so that this cannot happen again."

The inquest also heard that Mr Mitchell, who was wearing dark clothing, had spent almost an hour standing at the far end of the platform with his bag before falling forwards on to the tracks. A post-mortem examination concluded that he died from multiple blunt-force injuries to the chest and head, with soot staining found on his face.

Jurors were told that Jubilee line trains operate using automatic train operation, meaning acceleration and braking are controlled by the system. Drivers, known as train operators, reported that they did not see, hear or feel anything unusual. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch said Mr Mitchell’s body was positioned beneath the rear carriage, meaning outgoing drivers would not have seen him. All four operators told investigators they had not been preparing to leave their cabs as they arrived at Stratford.

Image: RAIB