Court hears of 16-year-old's brave bid to save another man from electrocution on the tracks A BRAVE teenager told an inquest about his desperate attempts to save a young man who had been electrocuted on a railway line.

At St Albans Coroner's Court on Monday 16-year-old Daniel Wheeler spoke about his efforts to pull another teenager, who had suffered a massive 650-volt shock, away from the electrified rails.

Daniel, of Watford, said he spoke briefly with 18-year-old David Finn, of Hamilton Close, South Oxhey, while they were waiting at Watford High Street Station on the evening of October 11 last year.

They were waiting for a late night train which they thought would arrive at 11.24pm, but were both unaware the timetable had been changed. The last train at 11.10pm had already gone.

As they waited David Finn told Daniel he was going to walk to Carpenders Park Station and started walking down the track.

Daniel said: "He did seem quite drunk and told me he was going to Carpenders Park.

"No train had arrived and when he told me he was going to walk I told him I didn't think it was a good idea.

"But he started walking down the platform and along the track. I was worried about him and then I saw him fall onto the line.

"I ran to him and tried to pull him off the rail, but I got a shock. Then a train came and I managed to pull him in between the rails. I was still getting shocks."

When the train passed, Daniel ran back to the station to call the police.

Police discovered David Finn's body on the line and he was pronounced dead on the scene by a police surgeon.

The court heard that David Finn, a painter and decorator, had been at the Sir Robert Peel pub in Kings Street, Watford, that evening.

He had been watching the England versus Italy game and had arrived at the station at about 11.15pm.

Pathologist at Watford General Hospital Dr Anthony Maddox said David suffered injuries consistent with electrocution and that he died instantaneously.

The post mortem also revealed that the level of alcohol in David's blood was around three times the drink-drive limit.

Dr Maddox said: "It is a moderately high level of alcohol and it would have affected his judgement."

David was a keen footballer. He played for William Morris Labour Club and S&K United before he moved to Sun Postal Sports in September.

He was also part of the successful St Michael's School football team which shared victory in a prestigious England schoolboys tournament in 1995.

At the inquest Mr Finn's family thanked Daniel Wheeler for trying to save David.

Coroner Edward Thomas said: "Because the train was not running and because he wanted to get home David Finn decided to walk down the track.

"Because he had quite a lot to drink this might have impaired his judgement."

And Mr Thomas told Daniel: "You did everything you could to try to save him."

A jury recorded a verdict of accidental death.

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