Woman killed after sitting on rail track in Staffordshire
A woman died after being hit by a train at Penkridge rail station as horrified commuters looked on and her friend screamed for help.
Amelia Pashaeva was killed instantly after she jumped off the platform and sat down on the track.
The 38-year-old had been drinking and 'caused a scene' at the station on January 22, an inquest heard.
Her friend Pamela Upton grabbed her and tried to get her to move along the platform before she jumped off and sat down on the track, the hearing was told.
She was then hit by a train and suffered multiple fatal injuries.
In a statement read to the hearing on behalf of Miss Upton, British Transport Police coroners' liaison officer Paul Simmonds said: "When they arrived Miss Pashaeva caused a scene so Miss Upton grabbed her and took her along the platform.
"She jumped off the platform and sat down on the track. Miss Upton was unable to get her off the track. She remembers seeing a man on the opposite platform and screaming at the man to get her off. She remembers seeing the train coming and there was a collision."
Miss Pashaeva was struck at 8.25pm on January 22. Also known as Emilia Bashaeva, she had a history of heavy drinking and was said to have joked about 'having vodka for breakfast'.
A Georgian national who lived in Hertfordshire, Miss Pashaeva was heading back home after visiting her friend when she was hit by the train. She had drunk a large bottle of vodka and cider.
The friends originally met 12 years ago in London after Miss Pashaeva arrived from Russia in around 2003. They later lived and worked together in Northern Ireland from 2010 to 2013. Miss Upton stated they often drank together and sometimes smoked cannabis.
The inquest was told Miss Pashaeva's partner had noticed that she had developed drinking issues.
South Staffordshire Coroner, Mr Andrew Haigh, said a Hertfordshire NHS Partnership Foundation Trust report revealed there was no evidence that Miss Pashaeva had a mental illness. However, efforts were being made to help her with her drinking.
He said when health staff phoned her home the very next day on January 23, they were told she had died.
Mr Haigh said since her death the trust reviewed its procedures, but he did not believe this would have made any difference to the outcome.
He gave a narrative conclusion that Miss Pashaeva was 'hit by a train on a railway line'.
The incident resulted in severe delays on the West Coast Mainline. Commuters had to use replacement buses throughout the night and into the next day.
