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The parents of an 11-year-old boy hit by a train at a level crossing have blasted a rail investigation which concluded he was likely to have been distracted by his mobile phone. Jaiden Shehata was walking to school at the Bourneview footpath crossing near Kenley, south London, when he was struck by a Southern train on January 23, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said. The RAIB said the accident happened because Jaiden did not perceive the risk associated with the train, probably because he was “distracted” by his phone. But Jaiden’s parents have reacted furiously to the RAIB’s investigation and are demanding the crossing be made safer, The Sunday Times reports. Jaiden’s father, Jozif, 39, a photographer, said. “They are blaming my son. He wasn’t wearing headphones. He wasn’t watching a film. It was a seven-second clip sent to him by his friends [which showed one of them walking to school]. That’s not something that will take his attention away. “Jaiden was killed by the neglect from the railway [authorities]. The improvements should have been made years ago to make the crossing safer. This was an accident waiting to happen.” The third of four boys, Jaiden typically walked the footpath with his older brother Reece, 18, since starting year 7 at Riddlesdown Collegiate in south Croydon the previous September. But on the morning of January 23, Jaiden got ready for school early and decided to head to school on his own. On most days, the brothers passed the crossing at around 8.10am, seven minutes after the train which ultimately hit him — the 7.55am Caterham to London Bridge service. But on the morning of his death, Jaiden arrived seven minutes early and directly into the path of the train as it passed the crossing at 8.03am. After seeing Jaiden start to cross the railway, the driver sounded the horn and applied the emergency brake. The boy looked up in response but did not have time to move clear before the train reached the crossing, hitting him at around 50mph. The RAIB investigation stated trains usually run twice an hour on the northbound track and the public footpath which leads to the crossing was overgrown with vegetation at the time of Jaiden’s death, “giving it the general appearance of a muddy path”. Pedestrians will walk past a gate and then a further 13ft alongside a metal fence which ends several steps away from the track. A tall sign states “Stop, Look, Listen — Beware of trains” but there are no ground markings, change of surface or colour on the crossing itself. The crossing is just 350 yards from the family’s home but they have now relocated to Crawley to distance themselves from the scene of the tragedy. Jaiden’s mother, Naglaa, 49, said it was impossible to be angry at him, laughing as she recalled telling him off for leaving the TV and house lights on after a monthly electricity bill for £649. She said: “I held him by the collar and was saying, ‘This is because of you!’ He laughed. ‘You can have the £125 in my piggy bank.’ He knew how to make me smile.” The family have also criticised elements in the RAIB’s report which stated Jaiden’s awareness of his surroundings might been affected by his winter coat. The boy had his hood up as temperatures were 3C and the family stated it led to accusations he was a “hoodlum”. A coroner’s report is due to be released on Monday, November 17, and it is anticipated it will provide further deaths on the cause of Jaiden’s death. An RAIB spokesman said: “We are deeply sorry to learn that the family of Jaiden Shehata have concerns about elements of the RAIB’s safety investigation into this tragic accident. We have been in direct contact with the Shehata family during our investigation and will be making contact with them again to try to address the specific issues they have raised.” The ORR said: “Our thoughts remain with Jaiden’s family and all those affected by this tragic incident. “Following the incident at Bourneview footpath crossing, we carried out an investigation which carefully considered the available evidence. We found no breaches of health and safety law by Network Rail. “We continue to monitor how Network Rail manages risk at footpath crossings, and we will oversee the implementation of the Rail Accident Investigation Branch recommendations to make further improvements. Ensuring the safety of those who use, work on and interact with our railway remains the ORR’s highest priority.”
