Man's body hit by Tube and struck six times, inquest told
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 before being struck by a Jubilee line train was passed over by at least six subsequent trains, an inquest has heard.
Brian Mitchell, 72, fell at Stratford station, east London at 14:45 GMT on 26 December 2023 and was struck by a train terminating at platform 13 five minutes later.
He had 272mg of alcohol in his system, more than three times the legal driving limit, jurors at East London Coroner's Court were told.
The train operator of the fifth service to pass Mr Mitchell reported a blow-up doll on the track and a member of staff who did see the body was unable to stop the last train, as they were in shock.
Before being struck, Mr Mitchell had tried to climb back on to the platform, senior coroner for east London Graeme Irvine said. However, "it appeared his initial impact went unnoticed".
Claire Mann, TfL's chief operating officer, said: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr Mitchell, who sadly died at Stratford Tube station.
"We are committed to learning from this tragic incident and we are assisting the coroner during the inquest."
A post-mortem examination found multiple injuries caused by blunt force trauma to the chest and head were primary cause of death.
'Inattentional blindness'
Mr Mitchell had spent nearly an hour at the far end of the platform with his bag before falling forwards on to the track. He was wearing dark clothing.
Dr Rebecca Charles, a Rail Accident Investigation Branch inspector, said Mr Mitchell could be seen on CCTV placing his hand on the top edge of the platform and attempting to stand up. Minutes later, he was struck by the first train.
Asked by the coroner if Dr Charles had found any evidence to contradict that he was killed by the first train, she replied "no".
Jubilee line drivers are known as train operators (TOs) because the trains use automatic train operation, which automatically accelerates and brakes the train for signals and stops, jurors heard.
The first TO was possibly distracted by another TO looking at Mr Mitchell's bag, as the Tube arrived, Dr Charles said. This is known as "inattentional blindness". His shift ended after arriving at Stratford.
A customer service agent at Stratford did not attempt to stop the fourth incoming train "because they were in shock" after seeing Mr Mitchell's body.
A blow-up doll was reported by the train operator of the fifth train to pass over his body but one further train arrived after a miscommunication between customer service staff at Stratford.
The TOs "did not see, hear or feel anything unusual", Dr Charles added. Because Mr Mitchell's body was underneath the seventh carriage, none of the three outgoing drivers would have seen him.
Each of the four arriving TOs told the RAIB they were not preparing to leave their cabins as they arrived at Stratford.
Mr Mitchell had spent Christmas Day visiting a friend in Bushy, Hertfordshire, but is suspected to have slept rough that night having phoned Shelter's crisis line, which does not take calls on Christmas Day.
He 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.
Det Sgt Gerry Griffin, who manages the British Transport Police's fatality investigation unit, confirmed Mr Mitchell's bag contained a small amount of money, glasses, wallet, keys and empty alcohol containers.
Mr Mitchell was living in Hanwell, west London, at the time of his death but was originally from Edinburgh. He was known to be homeless in 2017 and 2019.
Monday's inquest was attended by members of Mr Mitchell's family via video link.
The inquest continues.
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