Outpouring of support for families after crash
THE families of two railway workers hit by a train in July whilst working, have spoken of the messages of support they have received following the tragic deaths.
Gareth Delbridge, 64, from Kenfig Hill and Michael Lewis, 58, from North Cornelly, were working on the tracks when they were hit by a passenger train travelling from Swansea to London Paddington.
A third worker was treated for shock but was not injured.
The men had been carrying out engineering work between Port Talbot and Bridgend. Initial investigations suggest that Mr Delbridge and Mr Lewis had been using a tool with a petrol engine and were wearing ear defenders, which meant they may not have heard the train approaching.
Now the families have spoken of the outpouring of support they have received, not only from their local communities of Kenfig Hill and North Cornelly, but from the whole of the UK.
On September 20, 2019, a tribute night was held at Kenfig Hill RFC to remember and celebrate the lives of the two men, who were both respected by members of their communities and colleagues, who organised the event.
In a statement, the families of Mr Delbridge and Mr Lewis said: “Following the deaths of Gareth and Mike we have been absolutely overwhelmed with cards, notes, social media messages, text messages, as well as written letters from all over the country.
“The kind tributes following the deaths saw flowers being sent from all across the UK to both families, as well as letters of condolences being sent to churches in the hope that they would find their way to the families.
“The profound effect that these men’s deaths have had on the communities of Kenfig Hill and Cornelly was shown by the vast number of people Gareth Delbridge
Michael Lewis
who came to both funerals to pay their last respects.
“Family and friends, work colleagues, neighbours, club members as well as everyone else who attended made both days incredibly special and the boys if they were still here, would have been proud.”
A number of concurrent investigations have been launched into how the incident took place.
In July an accident report by the government revealed that colleagues had tried to warn the men of the approaching train, but were unsuccessful.
The men were part of a group of six staff who were undertaking scheduled track maintenance on lines that were still open to traffic.
The driver saw the track workers on the line ahead of his train, sounded the train horn and applied the emergency brakes.
Track workers walking on the adjacent line became aware of the train approaching and tried to warn their colleagues as it passed them, said the report, but the train was still travelling at 50mph when it hit the two men.
Their families have been raising money for Wales Air Ambulance in their memory.
“We thought it was only right to hold a local tribute night in memory of Gareth and Mike for the communities who knew and respected them so much,” they said.
The night was attended by around 400 people and is expected to have raised in excess of £10,000.
Both families have said they are committed to working with the relevant authorities as part of the current investigations in order to find out what happened and seek justice for the two men, including the police, Rail Accident Investigation Board (RAIB), and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).