Stonehaven Train Crash Inquiry Details Victims' Final Moments and Systemic Failures
A fatal accident inquiry into the devastating train derailment near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire has heard poignant and distressing evidence about the final moments of the three individuals who lost their lives. The inquiry, taking place at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, is examining the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident that occurred on August 12, 2020.
The Fatal Incident and Immediate Aftermath
The ScotRail service crashed at Carmont, close to Stonehaven, after striking a substantial pile of gravel that had been washed onto the railway track by exceptionally heavy rainfall. Of the nine people aboard the train that day, three were killed: train driver Brett McCullough, 45; conductor Donald Dinnie, 58; and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62. The six remaining passengers all sustained injuries, with three of those injuries classified as serious and requiring hospital treatment.
Dominique Louis, a principal inspector with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), provided detailed testimony to the inquiry. He described how Mr Stuchbury, who was originally seated in coach B, was likely in the process of walking to speak with conductor Mr Dinnie in coach D when the derailment occurred. "Mr Stuchbury was, we believe, standing and walking through the leading vestibule at the time of the incident," Mr Louis stated. "He received fatal injuries after being ejected through the vestibule towards the trees."
Structural Collapse and Recovery Challenges
The inquiry heard that coach D suffered the most severe damage of any passenger vehicle. Mr Louis explained that the structural damage was so catastrophic that the area where Mr Dinnie was standing completely collapsed, "leading to the complete loss of survival space in the leading vestibule." Mr Dinnie was also standing in that leading vestibule at the moment of impact. The positioning of his body within the wreckage, with coaches A and C resting on top of carriage D, meant recovery efforts could not be completed until August 13.
Driver Brett McCullough, located in the leading cab, suffered fatal injuries from secondary impacts with the cab's windscreen and interior. "When the leading power car struck the embankment below the bridge, the driver's cab became completely detached," Mr Louis told the court.
Survivor Accounts and Extreme Forces
Testimony also covered the experiences of the two survivors found in coach D, who reported waking up outside the coach with no memory of how they got there. Both sustained multiple cuts and lacerations. Mr Louis described the violent motions the carriages underwent: "Coach D and C both underwent extreme movements and rolled over onto their roofs before they came to rest. These movements would have subjected passengers to accelerations in the vertical, lateral, and longitudinal directions and would have caused them to impact the vehicle interior or fall off their seats."
He added that many windows in the leading half of the vehicle were completely shattered. Medical experts suggested the lacerations could have been caused by shards of broken glass or by exposed edges of damaged interior fixtures. Remarkably, despite severe fires breaking out in the power car and coach B, none of the occupants suffered fire-related injuries.
Systemic Safety Failures and Pandemic Context
The inquiry was previously informed that the death toll would "almost certainly" have been higher had the train been operating at normal capacity. The crash occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the Aberdeen area under lockdown, leading to a dramatic 65% drop in passenger numbers across the network at that time.
Evidence presented earlier on Tuesday pointed to profound systemic failures. The transfer of safety-critical information between Network Rail and its contractors was described as "ineffective." The immediate cause of the crash was traced to an incorrectly installed drainage system, which failed during the heavy rainfall, washing debris onto the tracks. Critically, inappropriate changes made to the drain during construction by contractor Carillion were not communicated to the designer Arup or to Network Rail.
These failures led to a criminal prosecution, resulting in Network Rail being fined £6.7 million in 2023 after admitting health and safety breaches. Carillion had entered compulsory liquidation in January 2018, prior to the accident.
Commitment to Change and Ongoing Inquiry
A Network Rail spokesperson stated the government-owned company remains "committed to supporting the work of the inquiry and continuing to deliver on the recommendations made by RAIB." They added, "We've made significant changes to how we manage the risk of severe weather since the accident and our work to make our network more resilient will continue."
The fatal accident inquiry, presided over by Sheriff Lesley Johnson, continues its work to establish a full account of the tragedy and its causes.
