An 11-year-old boy who was killed by a train at a railway crossing lost his life because he was 'distracted by his phone', an inquest has found.
Jaiden Shehata died while crossing the Bourneview footpath crossing near Kenley in Croydon on January 23, 2025.
Inquest findings
During an inquest into his death on Thursday (September 24), Sarah Ormond-Walshe, senior coroner at South London Coroners' Court, stated Jaiden was "doing something which was very much normal behaviour by all of us", noting that "everybody" becomes distracted by their phones.
Jaiden, a Year 7 pupil at Riddlesdown Collegiate in South Croydon, was hit at 8.03am, with the initial police officer reaching the location eight minutes afterwards, discovering Jaiden at 8.18am. Paramedics turned up shortly thereafter, and he was declared dead at 8.52am.
A jury determined on Thursday afternoon that the reason for his death was that he "did not perceive the danger of the train approaching, probably because he was distracted by his mobile phone", and noted that insufficient warning at the crossing also played a role in the accidental death. His medical cause of death was documented as "severe neck injuries".
Coroner's remarks
Ms Ormond-Walshe addressed Jaiden's family: "Everybody, everybody, looks at their phone. So please, let that go because every single person in this room does that, and he was only 11 years old. Thank you so much for your dignity. It must have been so difficult."
She confirmed she would be preparing a report on preventing future fatalities in the wake of Jaiden's death, aiming to stop similar tragedies occurring.
Summarising the evidence presented during the jury inquest, Ms Ormond-Walshe stated: "Jaiden had been using this route to school since September 2024, four months. He normally walked to school with his older brother, but that day, he was by himself."
Evidence and crossing safety
According to testimony from Paul Tickner, a Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) investigator, she noted that forward-facing CCTV footage from the train revealed Jaiden holding a "glowing object in his hands". The coroner clarified he wasn't wearing headphones.
The inquest had previously been told that Jaiden was viewing an eight-second video sent by a friend via WhatsApp when the collision occurred.
Ms Ormond-Walshe remarked: "Mr Tickner said it was important to have a change of environment, something distinct when a pedestrian was going across the level [crossing]. He agreed with me that the use of mobile phones was increasing. Jaiden was doing something which was very much normal behaviour by all of us."
The jury concluded that Jaiden's death was accidental. The foreperson informed the court: "Firstly, Jaiden did not perceive the danger of the train approaching the crossing, probably because he was distracted by his mobile phone. The second probable cause of the accident was that Bourneview was a passive crossing, which was not fitted with active warning systems giving a visual and auditory warning of the train's approach. A possible further cause was that the design and construction of the crossing could have made it more obvious to pedestrians that they were entering a hazardous area."
The inquest heard evidence from Daniel Fisk, head of Level Crossings and Public Safety at Network Rail, who outlined how risk levels for level crossings are categorised from A to M and 1 to 14, with A1 representing the most severe risk.
Bourneview was classified as C4 - described by Mr Fisk as "reasonably high risk" - during its latest evaluation in May 2023. For a footpath crossing, this rating was deemed "average, or slightly worse than average".
In May 2023, the crossing's manager determined that modifications were required to enhance safety. The coroner noted there had been "approximately one near miss per year at Bourneview".
Ms Ormond-Walshe continued: "Jaiden died in January 2025. The most recent risk assessment conducted on the Bourneview level crossing was completed a year and eight months before his death. The work was planned for March 2026 - two years, nine months from the time of the risk assessment - and this was found by the RAIB to be an acceptable amount of time to put in recommended changes."
