A TEENAGER who was larking around died after being hit by the Orient Express. Kieran St John, 18, also known as Kieran Lewis, from The Leys, Baldock died at Baldock railway station on October 11 last year. An inquest this week heard that he was at the s

A TEENAGER who was "larking around" died after being hit by the Orient Express.

Kieran St John, 18, also known as Kieran Lewis, from The Leys, Baldock died at Baldock railway station on October 11 last year.

An inquest this week heard that he was at the station with two friends, Andrew Kelly and Kim Galbraith.

The group had been drinking and Mr St John's blood alcohol level was found to be two-and-a-half times the drink-driving limit.

Before arriving at Baldock, the group had been at Letchworth station where Mr St John had jumped onto the exterior of a train as it pulled away.

He had jumped off again after 20 or 30 yards.

At Baldock station, at around 8pm, after it had been announced that a fast train was approaching, he ran off the platform and landed between two lines but stumbled and fell onto the track.

Mr Kelly said: "I think he said something like 'I'm going to play chicken' but I didn't believe him."

The driver of the Orient Express, which was bound for Hitchin from Ipswich via Cambridge, applied his emergency brakes but could not stop in time.

Coroner Edward Thomas called the incident "a tragic accident".

He added: "I'm sure that drink had a major factor in what happened.

"People think they're more capable when they've been drinking than they are and also it affects judgment and co-ordination. If you were sober you wouldn't put yourself in that situation.

"I have no doubt that Kieran was larking around that night."

Speaking of his verdict of accidental death, Mr Thomas said: "That records that when Kieran was hit by the train his intention was to get to the other side, it wasn't anything else.