Overview
- An RAIB report concludes 11-year-old Jaiden Shehata likely did not perceive the approaching train because he was distracted by a video on his mobile phone.
- The Bourneview footpath crossing had no lights or barriers, and the absence of active warnings was judged a probable causal factor alongside conditions that may have reduced awareness, such as a hooded coat.
- Network Rail’s prior assessment recorded six near misses from 2018 to 2023 and a 2020 fatality at the site, which was ranked among higher-risk crossings on the Sussex route.
- The Southern train was traveling about 50–53 mph; the driver sounded the horn and applied emergency brakes, but the collision was deemed unavoidable, with the train stopping roughly 207 metres beyond the crossing.
- The crossing remains closed, and Network Rail says it will install miniature stop lights in December after accelerating an upgrade originally scheduled for 2026, as RSSB and the industry consider the RAIB’s recommendations.