Charity worker, 28, died from serious head injuries ‘when she leaned out of train to be ill’ on her way home from festive day out with girlfriends
- Bethan Roper died on a Bristol-bound service after leaning out of train window
- Socialist group chair was returning home to wales from Bath Christmas market
- She died from serious head injuries following the incident on December 1
Bethan Roper (pictured in the first image toi surface of her today) was killed after she leaned out of a train window headed for Bristol Temple Meads on December 1
The charity worker who died while returning from a Christmas shopping trip with friends reportedly suffered serious head injuries when she leaned out of a train window to be ill.
Bethan Roper, 28, was killed on the Bristol Temple Meads-bound service on December 1.
Police believe her injuries were caused when she leaned out of a train window.
The chair of a young socialist group was returning to her home in South Wales after spending the day at Bath’s Christmas Market with friends when she suffered the fatal blow to her head.
A passenger said the train was travelling at full speed when they heard a sudden loud bang.
Bethan was thrown back into the carriage where two doctors on board tried to give her medical help.
Then train continued to the next station where an ambulance was waiting but Bethan was declared dead at the scene.
A passenger on board said: ‘Everyone in the carriage heard a loud bang and the train came to sudden halt.
‘I turned and saw her on the floor, I could see straight away that she had suffered dreadful injuries.
‘There were two medics on board and they gave her CPR but it was futile. The train was travelling at full speed when the accident happened.
‘She was with a group of girl friends who were in a state of shock and didn’t realise the severity of the situation to start with.’
The passenger said he was told Bethan had stuck her head out of the window to be ill.
British Transport Police previously said its initial inquiries suggested Miss Roper may have been leaning out of a carriage window at the time.
A spokesman for BTP said a day after the incident: ‘We were called at around 10.10pm following a report a woman had received serious head injuries while travelling on a train between Bath and Keynsham.
‘Officers from British Transport Police attended along with colleagues from Avon and Somerset Police and South Western Ambulance Service, but despite their best efforts the woman died at the scene.
‘Our investigation remains at an early stage, but initial inquiries suggest the woman may have been leaning out of a window when she suffered a blow to the head.’
The spokesman said the incident was reported to the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, and that the death was not being treated as suspicious.
The charity worker who died on a service to Bristol Temple Meads (pictured, the station) on December 1 has been pictured for the first time today
An inquest into her death is yet to open at Avon Coroner’s Court in Bristol.
Miss Roper, from Penarth, South Wales, was working for the Welsh Refugee Council at the time of her death, having graduated from Cardiff Metropolitan University in 2013.
The charity, a sister organisation to the UK-wide Refugee Council, works to help asylum seekers and refugees in Wales.
She was also a campaigner and chairman of Young Socialists Cardiff, and gave a speech in Cardiff earlier this year arguing asylum seekers’ right to work and receive education were being ignored by the UK government.