Train passenger leaning out of window died after branch hit her

A woman died after she leaned out of the window of a moving train and was hit by a tree branch, an inquest heard.

Bethan Roper, 28, from Penarth, Glamorgan, suffered fatal head injuries on the Great Western Railway service at Twerton, between Bath and Bristol.

Fellow passengers gave her CPR but she was pronounced dead at Bristol Temple Meads station in December 2018.

An accident inspector said a lack of inspections on the line was "possibly causal" to the accident.

The train was travelling at around 75mph when the accident happened on 1 December, Avon Coroner's Court was told.

Miss Roper had been returning home with friends from a day out Christmas shopping in Bath.

Mark Hamilton, an inspector with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, told the inquest that one of Miss Roper's group of friends opened the window, and at least one of the group leant out.

He said: "But around two and a half minutes after the train departed Bath Spa station, Bethan leant out of the window and a few seconds later she fell backwards having sustained a serious head injury.

"The simple conclusion we have drawn from the evidence presented was that Bethan's head came into contact with a lineside tree and that tree was growing on Network Rail infrastructure."

Mr Hamilton said mandatory tree inspections should be carried out every five years, however Network Rail had not inspected that part of the line since 2009.

Mr Hamilton said it may have been deemed the branch was "insufficient to pose a risk of derailment" and mandatory inspections do not set out the risks to passengers on the train.

However, had an inspection been carried out in accordance with the industry's standard then "the diseased tree might have been identified", he said.

The inspector said yellow signs were used inside the train to warn passengers not to lean out of the window when it was moving, but the word "caution" suggested someone could put their head out of the window "with a degree of care".

Although the signs complied with industry standards, the RAIB considered red as "a better colour to convey danger", he added.

Toxicology tests showed Miss Roper's blood alcohol level was about twice the legal limit for driving.

Pathologist Dr Karin Denton said judgement and coordination "would be impaired" at that level.

Mr Hamilton said it was not possible to know how much effect the alcohol had on Miss Roper.

A statement read to the jury on behalf of Miss Roper's father, Adrian Roper, described his daughter as "an inspirational and much-loved woman", who worked for the Wales Refugee Council, volunteered at a foodbank and supported many charities.

The inquest is expected to last just over a week.

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