Bereaved mother backs gruesome rail safety videos

A teenager who died after she was electrocuted on a railway line might still be alive if she had seen Network Rail's hard-hitting new safety films, the girl's mother has said.

Jade Kenyon, 17, was walking along the Medway Valley Line close to her home in Snodland, Kent, when she died in June 2006.

Her mother, Rachel Farrington, is now backing Network Rail's campaign, which reveals in gruesome detail what happens to people when they are electrocuted by the third rail.

"If Jade had seen this video, I think she would not have taken those risks," said Ms Farrington.

Jade had been out with friends and was walking home beside the train track when she was electrocuted by the third rail.

Warning: The image below may be distressing for some readers.

After her daughter's death, Ms Farrington began working with MPs to educate young people about the dangers of trespassing on the railway line.

"I hadn't seen much work towards rail safety. There were things I hadn't heard as a parent and my kids hadn't had rail safety talks in schools," she said.

Nearly 20 years on, work to educate young people about the horrific dangers of electrified tracks continues with a gruesome pair of videos from Network Rail.

The first features a special effects make-up artist who shows the injuries a person would be left with.

The second is with a sound designer who records the sounds of cracking bones and bubbling skin, which a person would hear while being electrocuted.

Anthony Boyle, mobile operations manager at Network Rail, said: "Having witnessed the traumatic aftermath of railway accidents, I can tell you that the impact of these incidents is profound and lasting.

"It's heart-breaking to see preventable injuries devastate lives.

"We urge everyone to recognise the dangers and keep themselves and their loved ones safe."

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