20.06.14
Network Rail will ‘learn lessons’ after three track workers killed in crash
Network Rail’s director for the Western & Wales region, Robbie Burns, is “determined” to learn lessons following the motorway crash that killed three track workers on their way home from a shift at Reading.
Steven Sheldon (pictured) and Martin Williams died in the crash in the early hours of 9 June, and James Vernon Stark died in hospital a few days later. All were from South Wales.
Their van, which had five people on board, collided with the back of a lorry on the hard shoulder near Chippenham, according to Supt Gavin Williams from Wiltshire Police.
Burns, discussing the accident during his speech at Rail Live yesterday, said when he first heard about the crash on the M4 on the radio on his drive into work at Swindon that Monday morning, “I didn’t think anything about it – I didn’t realise it was my own team, the track team at Reading.”
Their shift had finished on Monday morning, at 3.50am.
Burns repeated Network Rail’s ubiquitous safety message: “Everyone home safe every day.” He said: “It doesn’t say ‘everybody safe at the end of the shift every day’, it says ‘everyone home safe every day’.
“I’m determined to work with Carillion to understand what are the lessons we need to learn from this, about how we keep people safe getting home.”
Although the men did use the hotel they had been booked into – the Madejski Hotel in Reading – Burns suggested that sometimes, workers are known to try to drive home after a shift instead of using hotels booked for them. He asked the audience: “How many times on your sites do you book people into a hotel but they don’t use it? They go home, and then drive back to the next shift. But what condition are they in when they leave that shift? My safety message is about how we can guarantee our people get home safe every day.”
A statement released from Steven Sheldon’s family said: “Sadly, Steven Sheldon, 35, of Mountain Ash passed away during the horrendous incident which happened on the M4 junction 17 after returning home from work.
“He leaves behind a loving mother, Margaret, two devoted sisters, Lisa and Sarah, and two much loved nieces, Shannon and Kloe. The family would like to thank family and friends for their support during this very tragic time.”
James Vernon Stark, 37, also came from Mountain Ash, near Aberdare. Martin Williams, 36, was from Bell Cottages in Trecynon.
A Carillion spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident and at this time our priority is to provide support to those who have been affected by it and we extend our condolences to everyone concerned.
"The police are still currently investigating, but as with all accidents, we will be looking to see if there are lessons that could be learned for the future and will be working with all the relevant parties to do this.”
A 37-year-old man from Aberdare who was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving has been released on police bail pending further enquiries.
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