What now following the Bedford train crash?

Thursday 16th July 2026

Ben Davey and Lyubov Nikolchova have now been instructed by a number of the survivors of the Bedford Rail crash.

This week, the inquest into the death of Shaun Burton – who was driving the rear train – opened. Senior Coroner Emma Whitting adjourned the inquest, pending reports from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) and British Transport Police.

The preliminary report released showed that Mr Burton’s train past a red signal just before the collision. Data released showed that the brakes of his trains had been activated for nine seconds just before the collision. At the time of the collision his train was travelling at 49mph.

It has been reported that 162 people were injured, with 102 people requiring hospital treatment.

We have now been instructed by a number of the passengers from both trains. We are working with solicitors for East Midlands Railway in order to identify those clients that need access to early medical and/or rehabilitation treatment, and working towards obtaining funding for this.

Our clients have a number of questions about how the accident could have happened, and we are working on their behalf to obtain these.

Ben Davey can be contacted on bd@deanwilson.co.uk

Lyubov Nikolchova can be contacted on lsn@deanwilson.co.uk 

Tuesday 30th June 2026

Dean Wilson Solicitors instructed in respect to the Bedford Rail Crash

Ben Davey & Lyubov Nikolchova have been instructed in respect to the Bedford rail accident which occurred on 19 June 2026.

Further evidence has come to light which indicates that the driver passed two amber lights, and one red light, before the collision occurred. Investigations are ongoing to establish whether the integrated warning systems alerted the driver to this.

Ben & Lyubov will work with East Midlands Railway and their insurer to ensure that the victims, many of whom have been seriously injured, receive rehabilitation as part of their claims.

Monday 22nd June 2026

Early Friday evening we heard the shocking news that there had been a collision between two East Midlands Railway trains just south of Elstow in Bedfordshire. Eye witnesses to the BBC described it as “a bomb explosion”. 

It has sadly been confirmed that the driver of one of the trains died, and that 100 people have been injured, 11 seriously. 

The victims and their families will be asking how this could possibly have happened. As a society we generally consider rail travel to be safe, so it is concerning that an accident such as this could occur. 

Because there has been a fatally, there will now be an Inquest to consider how the accident occurred, and whether lessons can be learned. Meanwhile the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) will undertake their own Inquiry. 

The two trains were dependent on safeguard measures implemented in the late 1990s. There is a newer system called the European Train Control System (ECTS) which is being deployed on some major routes around the country. The ECTS continuously monitors the trains for speed and braking compliance,  and automatically applies breaking if needed. It is imperative that the Coroner and RAIB  consider if a wider roll-out of this system is necessary, and if so, ask the government to set out a timeframe for doing so. 

Unfortunately, the nature of such enquiries is that they are often protracted (the RAIB have only recently released their report following the Talerddig Powys collision in October 2024), in the meantime it is vital that representatives for East Midlands Railway provide support to injured victims and their families, many of whom will now face a lengthy recovery period from their serious injuries. 

Contact Ben Davey at Dean Wilson LLP

Ben Davey is a Partner and is practice lead for serious injury. He can be contacted on bd@deanwilson.co.uk