Safety inspector killed in Cornish steam railway industrial accident

The family of a safety inspector who died in an industrial accident on a steam railway tourist attraction in Cornwall have paid tribute to him. The family of 51-year-old John Betchley say they are "devastated" by his death.

Emergency services were called to the Bodmin and Wenford Steam Railway after the accident on Friday morning. Police said Mr Betchley, from Weston-super-Mare, was crushed by a steam crane and died at the scene. The Railway Inspectorate has been informed.

In a statement on Saturday his family said: "We are absolutely devastated by what has happened. He was a great family man who had been married for over 30 years. His life was centred around his family and love of trains, and he died doing a job he loved".

The site is a well-known local tourist attraction, operating steam trains on short trips. Most of the staff are volunteers and enthusiasts and all repairs and servicing of the locomotives and rolling stock are conducted on the premises. The railway operates a steam-powered rail crane, which is used for track laying and other lifting. It is annually inspected by an accredited inspector on behalf of the railway's insurers.

During the course of its annual inspection on Friday Mr Bletchley was between a jib and a cable drum winch while the crane was being operated. He became trapped and crushed to death between the two items of apparatus.

Mr Betchley leaves his wife of 30 years, four daughters and five grandchildren.

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