A 16-year-old boy who died trying to save his friend from an oncoming train has been hailed as a hero by a coroner. Joshua Myers and Jordan Everett were struck by an Avanti train travelling at 110mph at Poynton railway station in Cheshire on 3 July last year.
An inquest at Cheshire Coroner's Court heard that Joshua, from Handforth, had been drinking vodka and was shouting that he wanted to kill himself when he climbed onto the live tracks. A third friend, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told police that Jordan 'tried to rugby tackle' Joshua 'off onto the other side of the tracks'.
Senior coroner Jacqueline Devonish recorded conclusions of misadventure for Joshua and accident for Jordan. Addressing Jordan's family, she said: 'I know that you wanted him to be hailed as a hero for what he did. Well he was a hero.'
The court heard that both teenagers had been drinking alcohol and taking drugs, and had previously been referred for specialist mental health support. The train driver, Bryan Holt, said he applied emergency brakes but the impact was inevitable. He described seeing two figures trying to move in opposite directions.
Jordan's mother, Nicola Everett, said in a statement: 'Jordan lost his life trying to save Joshua. His bravery should be known. We are proud of our son, but devastated beyond belief.' Jordan, from High Lane, Stockport, was about to start an engineering course and aspired to be a commercial pilot.
