A high-achieving 15-year-old schoolgirl died when she fell onto a live railway line after taking cannabis, a coroner heard today.
Amy Hursey, from Basingstoke, was killed instantly when she fell onto the track on April 20 last year.
The inquest, which was attended by Amy’s parents and grandparents, was held in Winchester, Hampshire, this morning.
They heard that THC, a cannabinoid found in cannabis, was found in Amy’s system.
Coroner Jason Pegg said in a post-mortem report: ‘There was no evidence of any natural disease or medical condition that caused or contributed to Amy’s death.
‘It was clear from the post-mortem that Amy had been electrocuted.’
Amy’s father, Chris Hursey, told the inquest she had already completed three of her GCSEs at the time of her death.
He said: ‘She was funny. She had a quirky sense of humour. She was very loving and she loved being with the family.
‘She was nervous about the exams, not really nervous but a bit worried, no more worried than anyone would have been.
Amy Hursey, from Basingstoke, (pictured) was killed instantly when she fell onto the track on April 20 last year
‘She was really excited about finally finishing school. She was talking about getting a part-time job in the summer.
‘We were talking about what we were going to do for that summer holiday, making plans. Everything was normal. She was looking forward to everything really.’
Mr Hursey acknowledged that Amy had been dealing with the usual stress of school and exams but had no other significant worries.
He also told how she had gone through a break-up in January, which had initially left her heartbroken, but by April, she seemed to have moved on.
Related Post
The coroner heard that Amy was due to study English literature, health and social care and one other subject at Queen Mary’s College in September last year.
Mr Pegg added: ‘The impression I get is that Amy lived in this loving family, she was very happy. She was doing okay at school and looking forward to changing school and doing her A-Levels.’
Amy’s cousin, Kayla Whittle, who had been living with the Hursey family, told the coroner that Amy had become secretive toward her parents in the preceding months.
A friend, who cannot be named for legal reasons, gave evidence that Amy had smoked cannabis with two other pals in the months before the tragedy.
The friend revealed that she got a message on Snapchat that Amy had been with them in the hour before she fell on to the rail line.
The witness said Amy would often drive around Basingstoke with them and they would smoke cannabis in a car.
The coroner heard that on April 20 last year, Amy was picked up and travelled around in a car with her boyfriend and another friend for around 40 minutes, before the driver dropped Amy and their friend off at Basingstoke railway station.
A general view of Basingstoke Railway station in Hampshire
One of the companions, the driver (her friend), told the coroner that Amy was very quiet and did not seem her normal self.
He said he had asked her if anything wrong but Amy had said she was fine.
The driver denied that cannabis was, or had ever been smoked in his car, saying he dropped Amy and her boyfriend off at around 4:55pm.
Amy’s former boyfriend, the other companion, also spoke at the inquest. He said: ‘I wasn’t aware of her taking cannabis but I know she had tried it before.’
He denied ever using cannabis with Amy and said she shared a cigarette with him at the station but that the cigarette did not contain cannabis.
CCTV footage of the incident was played to the court. Amy was shown waiting on the platform around two metres from the edge before suddenly moving forward and falling onto the tracks.
Coroner Mr Pegg, who gave an ‘open’ verdict, said: ‘Amy died on April 20 last year at Basingstoke Railway Station. Amy left the platform and landed on the live rail causing her to be electrocuted.
‘It cannot be ascertained whether Amy intended to fall from the platform, or whether Amy fell from the platform from an unconscious or involuntary act on her part, or whether it was an accidental stumble.
‘Amy had consumed a quantity of cannabis which was likely to have diminished her cognitive function and reasoning.’
The coroner said he was satisfied that the cannabis use had contributed to Amy’s death. He said: ‘It is unclear how she came by her death, she certainly didn’t take her own life.
He added: ‘I am not satisfied, on the evidence, that Amy intended to take her own life. There is no evidence of her being distressed at any point.
‘The way in which she came by her death was almost by bad luck that she landed on the live rail.’
