A teenage boy has died in front of his younger brother after he was hit in the head by a signal pole when he leaned out of a moving train in Melbourne.
The 17-year-old was struck by the pole about 200 metres from Malvern station, south east of Melbourne, on Friday at 9.20pm.
The boy, who was travelling with his brother and a female friend, had managed to get inside the driver’s cabin at the rear of the train and was leaning outside the door when the incident unfolded.
The boy’s brother and friend were interviewed by police and it is believed the trio were trying to film the stunt, Nine News reports.
‘It appears that he may have been hanging on the side of the train or hanging from the train when his head has hit the signage or pole on the side of the track,’ Acting Sergeant Andrew Kiss said.
The boy, from Beaumaris, suffered multiple injuries on impact. Emergency crews treated him at the scene but he died shortly before 11pm in hospital.
Police are currently reviewing CCTV footage to work out how the group gained access to the driver’s rear cabin.
‘It is a tragic accident. It’s going to impact severely on all family and friends,’ Sgt Kiss said.
Safety procedures on trains will be considered as part of the coroner’s investigation.
‘It will be up to the coroner to establish if more safety procedures need to be put in place (and) whether things like the locking system on the doors need to be looked at,’ he said.
The train driver wasn’t aware of the accident and continued on his route.
‘Sadly this is a case of one risk too many for a group of young people and they’ve lost one of their friends,’ Metro Trains spokeswoman Leah Waymark said.
‘The train network is not a fun park for thrill seekers.’