Parents of boy electrocuted by overhead power cables launch rail safety film

“Harrison didn’t touch the overhead power cables on that day. I didn’t know that electricity could jump and arc"

Author: Ramla JeylaniPublished 13th Oct 2022
Last updated 13th Oct 2022

Parents of a boy electrocuted by overhead power cables have launched a campaign film to warn people about the dangers of trespassing on railway lines. The film tells Harrison’s story.

11-year-old Harrison Ballantyne died in 2017 after he had strayed into a rail freight depot to find his lost football.

Although he had not touched the power cable, Harrison died at the scene after he was hit by 25,000 volts of electricity which had formed an arc.

The village Harrison lived in didn’t have a railway station, he lived in a small village near Rugby, Warwickshire.

His mother, Liz Ballantyne, said: “I had never realised that I needed to educate my children about the dangers of the railway, as I never realised how close the railway was.”

Drew Ballantyne, Harrison’s father added: “Harrison didn’t touch the overhead power cables on that day. I didn’t know that electricity could jump and arc, and I doubt that he did either.”

WH Malcolm Limited, operators of Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal, were fined £6.5m after being found guilty of negligence over Harrison’s death.

Harrison was easily able to gain access to the depot and climb on top of a stationary freight wagon, where he received a fatal electric shock from the overhead line.

The film is part of the You vs Train campaign

The film, called Harrison’s Story, was launched in conjunction with Network Rail, British Transport Police and the wider rail industry.

It forms part of the You vs Train campaign which aims to deter trespassing.

There were 19,408 trespass incidents on the rail network in the last financial year (2021/22) – the highest number recorded for five years.

A quarter of all incidents involved young people under the age of 18.

Robert Wainwright, head of public safety at Network Rail, said: “Harrison’s Story is a tragic reminder of why it is vitally important that we all know about rail safety and the devastating potential impact that trespass can have, not only on the trespasser, who risks serious life-changing if not fatal injury, but also on their friends and family, and the wider community.”

Superintendent Alison Evans of British Transport Police said: “Telling Harrison’s tragic story highlights how, by educating ourselves and others, we can make the railway a safer place.

“High voltage electricity powers the overhead cables and the third rail 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“You don’t have to touch them to risk your life – the electricity can arc, just like it did in Harrison’s case."

First for all the latest news from across the UK every hour on Hits Radio on DAB, at hitsradio.co.uk and on the Rayo app.