Woman stuck on rail track killed

The footpath level crossing is fitted with warning signs and "whistle boards"

A woman has been killed on a railway line after getting her ankle stuck between the track and a wooden footway.

The 66-year-old was with a friend out walking a dog when she got stuck as a train approached at Staines in Surrey.

Her friend tugged at her trapped leg when they saw the oncoming train, whose driver sounded its horn, but she was struck and killed instantly.

The other person was uninjured but was reported to be traumatised. Police are not treating the death as suspicious.

'Whistle boards'

The incident happened at the Moor Lane footpath level crossing, and involved the 0728 BST South West Trains service from Waterloo to Windsor and Eton Riverside.

Network Rail said the crossing was fitted with warning signs and "whistle boards" telling drivers to sound their horns.

British Transport Police said the train driver spotted the pair on the crossing ahead of him with seconds to spare.

He sounded his horn but only one of the women managed to get out of the path of the train in time.

A spokesman for the rail operator said the driver would have been automatically relieved and offered time off as well as counselling.

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