Dronfield railway station tragedy: Twin pays tribute to brother who died in incident near railway station

Tim Atkin expressed his grief on social media under a report of the death of a man in an incident near Dronfield Railway Station on Wednesday night.

He said: “My twin brother, RIP Tony Atkin. I’m destroyed. We will be together again one day. Love you xxx You can rest your head now. No more depression and pain.” Police confirmed a person had died close to the station.

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All emergency services, including two air ambulances, were called to Dronfield Railway Station on June 19 after the collision at around 10pm.

British Transport Police have now confirmed there was nothing paramedics could do and a person was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers say they are treating ithe death as a “non-suspicious incident.”

Witnesses say two air ambulances landed in nearby Cliffe Park and several fire engines were spotted racing to the station.

In 2022, UK charity Samaritans launched the Small Talk Saves Lives to encourage members of the public to trust their gut instinct if they think they see someone having a crisis and know that reaching out with small talk or even asking simple questions can break a chain of negative thoughts.

In partnership with Network Rail and British Transport Police, it aims to empower the public to act to prevent suicide on the railways and other settings.

It reminds people that they already know how to start a conversation and that suicide is preventable through a simple act of making small talk.

The message is, if you think somebody might need help, trust your insights and start a conversation.

A little small talk and a simple question like 'Hello what’s the time?' or ‘Hi, where can I get a coffee?’ can be all it takes to interrupt someone's suicidal thoughts and help set them on the journey to recovery.

You don’t need special training to help – you just need to trust your intuition that someone is in trouble and start a conversation.

If you don’t feel comfortable speaking to the person yourself, tell a member of staff or a police officer. Samaritans has been working with Network Rail and BtP and there are 25,000 trained railway employees across the UK in suicide prevention – or call 999 in an emergency.