In January, an 11-year-old boy was fatally struck by a train on his way to school in south London. The investigation revealed he was looking at his mobile phone when he crossed the level crossing.

An 11-year-old boy, fatally struck by a train in January in south London, may have been distracted by a video he was watching on his mobile phone. This is according to a report released Tuesday by the Rail Accident Investigation Bureau (RAIB), and reported by the BBC.

This tragedy occurred on January 23rd at a level crossing where the boy was walking to school. After seeing him step onto the tracks, the train driver sounded the horn and applied the emergency brake. Unfortunately, the child did not have time to move out of the way before the train, traveling at approximately 80 km/h, struck him.

"A video was playing."

In its report, the RAIB (Radio Intelligence and Investigation Branch) indicates that the accident occurred because the child failed to pay attention to the danger of the approaching train. According to investigators, he had his eyes glued to his mobile phone, and the hood of his coat was pulled up over his head. "Analysis of his phone suggests that a video was playing at the time of the accident," our colleagues point out.

The report also notes that the pedestrian crossing in question was "passive," meaning it was not equipped with an active warning system for pedestrians when a train is approaching. "It would have been possible to better signal to pedestrians that they were entering a potentially dangerous area. This is a possible contributing factor," it states.

As reported by the BBC, Network Rail, the UK's national rail network, states that "significant" measures have been taken to "prevent such a tragedy from happening again." Work is scheduled for December. "We will be installing miniature traffic lights to improve safety by providing a clear signal and an audible warning to indicate to passengers when it is safe to cross," explains the Sussex line director.