Police Force Apologizes to Family of Man Killed in Mid Wales Train Collision

The family of a man who died in a train collision in mid Wales last month has received an apology from a police force. David Tudor Evans, aged 66, was a passenger on a train traveling from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth when it collided with a stationary train on October 21, close to Llanbrynmair, Powys. The British Transport Police (BTP), which is investigating the incident, was accused by a close family friend of not providing adequate support to Mr. Evans’s family. The BTP subsequently apologized to the family, attributing the issue to a “miscommunication” that occurred soon after the crash. According to the family friend, who spoke to PA news agency, Mr. Evans’ wife, Rachel Evans, was “pretty much left to her own devices” following the collision, and “support wasn’t adequately provided at the time.” On October 22, the force released a statement asserting that “the deceased’s next of kin have been informed and his family are being supported by specialist officers.” However, PA reported that a specialist officer from the BTP did not visit the family until October 23. The friend further stated that the family expressed objections to media reports that speculated on the cause of death. He remarked, “Currently, news outlets are putting out that the cause of death was not related to the collision without any evidence.” They also noted that the cause of death remained indeterminate at the inquest’s opening. BTP Superintendent Andrew Morgan offered an apology regarding their previous statement. He stated, “We would like to apologise for a miscommunication issued shortly after the train collision which took place on Monday 21 October in Llanbrynmair.” He continued, “British Transport Police has apologised directly to the family of the deceased in relation to this statement and would like to apologise publicly for any additional suffering caused at this extremely difficult time.” Louisa Corcoran, the assistant coroner for Ceredigion, initiated an inquest into Mr. Evans’s death in Aberystwyth on Wednesday. She indicated that a post-mortem examination is currently underway and postponed the inquest pending the conclusion of the police investigation. In the same incident, four additional individuals sustained serious injuries, and another 11 required hospital treatment for their injuries.