Intoxicated Man Died After Falling onto Subway Tracks and Being Struck 7 Times, 1 Driver Mistook Body for an ‘Inflatable Doll’

Nearly two years after a man fell onto the tracks at a London Underground station and was fatally struck by trains, a jury inquest has concluded that his death was accidental.

On Dec. 26, 2023, 72-year-old Brian Mitchell — who was intoxicated at the time — stumbled from the platform at Stratford station in East London and fell onto the track beside Platform 13. He was later struck multiple times by Jubilee line trains entering and leaving the platform, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) told the inquest at East London Coroner’s Court, according to the BBC, The Standard and MyLondon.

An RAIB report released in January 2025 said Mitchell had been sitting on a bench before standing up at about 2:45 p.m. and “immediately stumbled forwards” onto the adjacent track. The BBC reported that he had 272 mg of alcohol in his system — more than three times the legal driving limit.

The RAIB report said Mitchell was unable to “get to a position of safety” and remained on the track for about five minutes before the first train arrived and struck him. Three more trains then entered the terminal platform and also hit him.

At the inquest, RAIB said the train drivers either did not see Mitchell or did not react quickly enough. None of the four incoming operators applied the emergency brakes, and the jury concluded that no signal was given to stop the trains.

RAIB said the first driver may have been distracted by “the use of automatic train operation,” while the third driver reportedly mistook Mitchell’s body for an “inflatable doll.” The fourth operator did not apply the emergency brake after being left in shock, RAIB told the court, according to the reports.

Mitchell, who was wearing dark clothing, suffered multiple injuries. A post-mortem examination found the primary cause of death was blunt-force trauma to his chest and head, according to the outlets.

Senior coroner Graeme Irvine said he would be issuing a report to TfL [Transport for London], warning that Platform 13 carries a significant risk of similar tragedies.

Mitchell’s family was represented by Thomas Jervis and Philippa Wheeler of law firm Leigh Day. After the inquest concluded on Dec. 17, Jervis said the family found it “almost unbelievable” that Mitchell was struck seven times.

“The facts of this case are truly harrowing,” Jervis said, according to the outlets, adding that the family hopes “meaningful change” will be introduced to help prevent a repeat of what happened.