Death of man hit seven times by Tube accidental, inquest finds

Warning: This article contains details that some readers may find distressing

A man who stumbled and fell on to tracks at a London Underground station while drunk before being struck by seven Jubilee line trains died accidentally, an inquest has concluded.

Brian Mitchell, 72, was killed by a train terminating at Stratford in east London on 26 December 2023 at 14:50 GMT, East London Coroner’s Court heard. The emergency brakes were not applied by any of the four incoming train operators (TOs).

CCTV showed Mr Mitchell trying to climb back on to the platform for about a minute at 14:45 before appearing to lie down on the tracks. He had 272mg of alcohol in his system, more than three times the legal driving limit.

Claire Mann, Transport for London (TfL)’s chief operating officer, said: “We will respond to the coroner’s prevention of future deaths report and are taking action to prevent incidents like this from happening again.”

Three of the four incoming trains which struck Mr Mitchell at platform 13 also departed the station. Following the first, fatal, strike, subsequent trains arrived at 14:56, 15:05 and 15:16.

The operator of the third train misidentified the body as an inflatable doll, the jury concluded. The fourth TO did not apply the emergency brake due to being in shock. No signal was given to stop the trains, the jury found.

Addressing Mr Mitchell’s family who attended virtually, 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.”

Thanking the jury and coroner for “their thorough investigation”, Mr Mitchell’s family said they “found it almost unbelievable” that he was struck seven times.

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.”

Mr Mitchell, who was wearing dark clothing, had spent nearly an hour at the far end of the platform with his bag before falling forwards on to the track.

A post-mortem examination found multiple injuries caused by blunt-force trauma to the chest and head were primary cause of death. His face was stained with soot.

Jubilee line drivers are known as train operators (TOs) because the trains use automatic train operation, which automatically accelerates and applies the brakes for signals and stops, jurors heard.

The TOs “did not see, hear or feel anything unusual”, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said. Because Mr Mitchell’s body was underneath the rear incoming carriage, none of the three outgoing drivers would have seen him.

The inquest heard that the RAIB was told by each of the four arriving TOs that they had not been preparing to leave their cabins as they arrived at Stratford.

Mr Mitchell, who had spent Christmas Day visiting a friend in Bushy, took two buses to Stanmore station where he boarded the Jubilee line, using his Freedom Pass to travel to the other end of the line before sitting on a bench at Stratford station.

Mr Mitchell was living in Hanwell, west London, at the time of his death but was born in Edinburgh. He was known to be homeless in 2017 and 2019.

Ms Mann added: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr Mitchell… We are committed to learning from this tragic incident and assisted the coroner during the inquest.”