St Albans train death man’s family convey sadness to driver
Hatfield Coroner's Court - Credit: Archant
The family of a St Albans man who died after being struck by a high speed train has extended its sympathy to the driver.
Peter Campbell, 41, of Lemsford Road, died on October 21 last year at Radlett train station.
At an inquest last Friday, Deputy Coroner for Herts Graham Danbury ruled that Mr Campbell took his own life while suffering from depression.
He added: “The evidence makes it clear that it was a deliberate act. I’m sure he did it when he wasn’t in his normal state of mind.”
Offering his condolences to one of Mr Campbell’s friends and three of the dead man’s siblings who had flown from Ireland to attend the inquest, Mr Danbury added: “It is a desperately sad way to end a promising life.”
He explained that Mr Campbell had been made redundant from his job in Ireland but had moved to St Albans to start an IT job in Hatfield in 2012.
His wife and two children – aged 12 and 10 at the time of his death – remained in Ireland but he regularly travelled to be with them.
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Mr Campbell was to have flown to Ireland the weekend before his death but decided to remain in St Albans because of work commitments.
Fatalities investigator for the British Transport Police, Terence Hancocks, told the inquest that CCTV footage showed Mr Campbell at Radlett station, wearing a business suit.
His briefcase was later found to contain his Irish passport and pay slips.
Mr Danbury said that a post-mortem, which found Mr Campbell died of multiple traumatic injuries,revealed small quantities of two prescription-dose levels of medication for anxiety and depression.
He added: “There was no suggestion of a higher dose.”
Mr Campbell was described at the inquest as the perfect son and someone who was “all heart, who put everyone else first”.
Mr Danbury said that Mr Campbell was “clearly devoted to his family”.
However, although prior to his death Mr Campbell, who had a demanding job, gave the “appearance of normality”, he was going through a “dark period”.
After Mr Danbury gave his ruling, Mr Campbell’s siblings asked Mr Hancocks to “convey our deepest sadness to the train driver”.
