A MAN who sat down on a railway line before being hit by a train, did so in a deliberate attempt to end his own life, an inquest heard.

Jake Anthony Vaughan, of Cardinal Street, Burnley, died after he climbed onto the tracks somewhere near Robinson Lane between Burnley train station and Brierfield train station on July 12 2018.

At the inquest in Burnley, the court heard how on the day of Mr Vaughan's death, eye-witness, Kenneth Taylor, had gone out for a walk, and upon stopping on a bridge, had spotted the 31-year-old walking down the tracks.

Mr Taylor then witnessed Mr Vaughan lying down between the lines. At this point he got his phone out and called the police.

Giving evidence at the inquest, British Transport Police Fatality Investigator, Leanne Callan, said that after receiving the initial call from the eye witness, police were on scene more or less immediately.

She said: "We received the call from Kenneth Taylor, and we believe the train struck Mr Vaughan while Mr Taylor was on the phone.

"From what Mr Taylor said, Mr Vaughan made no attempt to get out of the way of the train."

Reading a witness statement to the court, from the driver of the train, Coroner Richard Taylor said he had become aware of a person on the tracks as the train was heading towards Brierfield from Burnley.

The driver had then tried to brake, but due to the proximity of the person and the speed the train was travelling at, he was unable to do so in time.

Mr Vaughan’s father, Kevin Chambers, was present at the inquest and Mr Chambers said that at the time of his son’s death he had been living with his grandmother, but she had sadly died two days earlier.

Mr Chambers said his son had been struggling with the death of his grandmother, and that, combined with the fact he believed he was living with undiagnosed Huntington’s disease could have been a factor in him choosing to end his life.

Mr Taylor told the court that Mr Vaughan had never presented himself to his GP for any issues and had never indicated he was feeling low or was considering taking his own life.

In concluding, Mr Taylor said: "This wasn’t an accident, it was a very deliberate act; this was him attempting to end his life and therefore I return a conclusion of suicide, and say that Jake Anthony Vaughan died on July 12 2018 on the railway line, from injuries sustained when he was struck by a train as he was sat between the tracks."