Bedford train crash driver dies of brain and chest injuries

A train driver died of traumatic brain and chest injuries in a Bedfordshire train crash, an inquest has heard.

Shaun Burton, 60, died on June 19 when the train plowed into the back of another service at Elstow, near Bedford. 162 people were injured, including 102 who required hospital treatment.

An inquest into the driver’s death has been opened in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, and has been adjourned until a later date which has yet to be determined.

Emma Whiting, senior coroner for Bedfordshire and Luton, said the inquest would be suspended pending reports from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch and British Transport Police.

Burton lived in Cambridgeshire and was previously a parish and county councilor representing Stukeleys Ward on Huntingdonshire County Council.

A consultant pathologist said the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the brain stem and chest, pending further tests, after the coroner’s statement was read out during the five-minute hearing.

Burton was pronounced dead at 18:49 BST on 19 June. He was officially identified by the Fingerprint Identification Bureau on June 25, according to the coroner’s report.

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