Parents' tributes to 'beautiful, intelligent, loyal and popular' Callum who died after falling on electric rail
THE parents of a teenager who was electrocuted in a fatal accident at Hinton Admiral station have paid tribute to their “beautiful, intelligent, loyal and popular” son.
Seventeen-year-old former Hounsdown School pupil Callum Evans, who lived in Pickwick Close, Totton, was pronounced dead after he fell onto the tracks late on the evening of Tuesday 15th September.
Paramedics and British Transport Police officers rushed to the scene, off Hintonwood Lane, after a call-out at around 11.50pm, but he could not be saved.
Callum’s parents said: “We and his sister are devastated, heartbroken and we will never come to terms with the tragic and sudden loss of our son from a rail accident last week.
“Callum was a beautiful, intelligent, loyal and popular young man who had a life full of opportunities within his grasp.
“Callum was loving life at Peter Symonds College. He always had a smile on his face and a huge zest for life. He was a good friend and touched many lives.
“As a family we have been overwhelmed by the support we have received from friends, family and the local community and thank everyone for their kindness.”
At the opening of the inquest, Winchester Coroner’s Court heard Callum was with friends at Hinton Admiral Station. Senior coroner Christopher Wilkinson said: “Sadly, he fell onto the train tracks. His death was confirmed at the scene.”
A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as severe electrical burns and a fall onto an electrical railway line.
In statement, Peter Symonds said: "We are all deeply saddened to hear of the tragic accident resulting in the loss of a valued member of our student community. Callum Evans was a hard working and popular student with so much promise and a bright future ahead of him."
Teacher Phil Newman described Callum as "a fantastic person to be around and an outstanding student – especially in geography, which he was planning on studying at university. This was because the attributes that make a great geographer came so naturally to him. He had the personality and qualities that really matter, and which made him such a force for good – he was blessed with bucketloads of empathy and compassion and he genuinely cared about people.
"In class he would always take time to listen to, and appreciate, other people's opinions and he respected their feelings because he cared. He could see and value the world and the people in it without judgement, again, because he cared. Not only was he a good student, but he was an even greater young man because he was curious.
"Whilst he wanted to better understand about the world beyond Peter Symonds – which is why he was passionate about his subject – he also wanted to know how your day was going, he wanted to know how to make things better, he wanted to know how he could help – and those of us that were lucky enough to be in class with him will remember what a friendly, supportive and kind young man he was."'
Principal, Sara Russell added: “We are all deeply saddened to hear of the tragic accident resulting in the loss of a valued member of our student community. Callum Evans was a hard working and popular student with so much promise and a bright future ahead of him.
“Callum was passionate about his subjects at college and displayed commitment and dedication to all aspects of his time here, from lessons to his enrichment activities. He had plans of going on to university to study Geography and was undoubtedly an excellent candidate.
“He will be deeply missed by his friends and teachers at the college.
“We send our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time, and have ensured that support is available for our students and staff as they come to terms with the extremely sad news.”
Officers from the British Transport Police confirmed they are not treating his death as suspicious. A full inquest will take place on 18th May next year.
