THE devastated family of the train driver who was tragically killed in the Bedford rail crash which left 100 people injured have paid moving tribute to him.
Shaun Burton, 60, was driving the Luton Airport Express train which rammed into the back of another, stationary East Midlands Railway service at around 5.15pm on Friday.
The crash left 100 people injured – with at least nine of them still fighting for their lives.
It has the highest number of casualties of any rail disaster in the UK in the last 20 years.
Now, Shaun’s family have paid heartfelt tribute to him after his devastating death.
They said: “We are devastated by his loss. Our thoughts are also with those affected by this incident.”
Both trains were heading for London with the first, a 3.50pm train service from Nottingham to St Pancras, stopping on track.
It was running 18 minutes late when the 4.40pm Corby train, which had stopped at Bedford station two minutes earlier, slammed into the back of it.
BTP declared the accident as a major incident as pictures emerged revealing the horror of the crash.
Passengers likened the horrifying accident – which left carriages mangled and seats torn from their fastenings – to a “bomb going off”.
Dr Peter Knapp, who was travelling in the front carriage of the train that crashed into the other, told the BBC: “When I got up, I saw all of the chairs everywhere. It felt like I’d been in a bomb explosion.
“When I got up, I saw people’s bloodied faces and people’s legs looked broken and there was smoke everywhere.”
Teresa Itabor, from Northamptonshire, told The Times she had been travelling to London to celebrate her birthday when the chaos unfurled.
Upon leaving Bedford station, she said she heard a “massive bang” and her head struck the seat in front of her.
“I opened my eyes and that’s when I saw people on the floor with blood everywhere,” she said.
Fire and rescue, police and the ambulance service were all called to the scene in a huge emergency response, with casualties treated in a nearby field.
Aerial footage of the aftermath shows the two damaged trains, with one carriage shunted off the track.
Shocking photos show severe damage to the driver’s compartment and wounded passengers jumping out of the carriages.
One traveller estimated 90 per cent of his carriage were seriously injured and left unable to stand or move their necks.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, Brett Byatt said: “I’d probably say 90 per cent of the people on my carriage had injuries, I’d probably say from three to four of us were uninjured in a full carriage.
“Everyone else had either a serious wound that was bleeding profusely, or a situation where they couldn’t stand, or couldn’t move their neck, or I saw a woman’s snapped leg.”
He added there was a “boom” and then people “went flying into one another”.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch said a team had been sent out to gather evidence at the site to find out “exactly what happened” and make recommendations to prevent future collisions.
A spokesperson for the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers said: “We are deeply concerned by reports of a train collision between Bedford and Luton and the serious injuries sustained by on-board train staff and passengers.
“The thoughts of the whole union are with those affected and we continue to monitor the situation.”
