Lawyers appeal for witnesses after tragic death of Lupe Palomero at Old Stoke Road train crossing

Keith Barrett from Fieldfisher law firm, who is representing the Palomero family, said the Inquest into Mercedes' death was now open and any information Bucks Herald readers could provide about their concerns or experiences of the crossing could be vital to helping the Coroner's enquiries.

Argentinian-born Mercedes Guadalupe Palomero was with her bike on the foot crossing, previously described in this paper as a 'death trap', at lunchtime when the London Marylebone train to Aylesbury hit her. CCTV footage show her head turning to the left to see the train just seconds before it struck her at 40mph.

A nearby worker rushed to help her but there was nothing he could do.

"I understand there have been previous incidents on this crossing. I would be very interested to hear from anyone who may have valuable information we can present to the Coroner, who will be hearing evidence at Beaconsfield coroner's court in front of a jury," Mr Barrett said.

In June 2013, the Herald reported that because of safety fears about the crossing, which is fitted with manually operated gates, proposals to replace it with a bridge were being considered. Residents had branded the crossing a 'death trap' because of the regular incidents and near-misses that occured.

Whistle boards alongside the track are intended to remind train drivers to sound their horns in warning as they approach the crossing.

According to Mr Barrett, Network Rail had put forward plans to close the crossing by 2019 and replace it with a bridge but funding was withdrawn and the crossing was removed from the regional closure programme in October 2016. Ms Palomero was killed a few weeks later.

Ms Palomero worked at nearby Stoke Mandeville hospital.

The crossing has remained closed since the accident.

Anyone with information can contact [email protected]