An investigation was opened after the death Monday evening of a father and his daughter, hit by a freight train in a station in Donchery (Ardennes) while crossing the tracks on a pedestrian crossing, we learned on Tuesday from of the Charleville-Mézières public prosecutor’s office. The two victims “crossed the tracks on the passage dedicated to pedestrians located between two lanes of traffic before being hit by a freight train”, indicated Magali Josse, public prosecutor of Charleville-Mézières.
Investigations are underway to “verify the precise circumstances of this accident, in particular the operation of the safety signaling devices present in this station”, she specified.
A victim assistance device activated
A victim support system was activated to “provide psychological support to relatives and witnesses who witnessed this accident”. The teenager, aged sixteen, “was coming home from school by train from Charleville-Mézières, her father had come to welcome her,” the mayor of the town, Christian Welter, told AFP, confirming information of the Union.
“The first observations made by our agents seem to show that the safety device was working correctly and that the light warning device was operational,” reacted the SNCF in a press release to AFP. “This will have to be confirmed by the ongoing investigation to which SNCF will make its full contribution”, added the company, specifying that the freight train “passed without stopping in the station”.
According to the SNCF, “this is the first fatal accident in this station, where the safety equipment was put in place 10 years ago and is maintained regularly”, the last maintenance having been “carried out last July”. . The SNCF “will strengthen” its public awareness operations “on the importance of respecting the safety instructions and in particular of looking on both sides when crossing tracks on pedestrian crossings”, concludes the press release.