cricketer dies in tube accident

[mangaman74]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricke ... olice.html

Surrey batsman Tom Maynard, the son of former England international Matthew Maynard, has died at the age of 23 after being hit by a tube train while trying to escape police.

It is thought officers tried to pull over a black Mercedes, which was being driven "erratically", an hour before Maynard's body was found on the tracks.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "At approx 4.15am on Monday, 18 June, officers stopped a vehicle after it was seen being driven erratically in Arthur Road, SW19.

"The male driver of the vehicle - a black Mercedes C250 - made off on foot. Officers were unable to locate the man.

"At approx 5.10am the body of a man fitting the same description was found on tracks near Wimbledon Park station."

British Transport Police (BTP) had earlier confirmed Maynard's death. "BTP officers were called to the line near Wimbledon Park London Underground station on Monday, 18 June after a man was struck by a District line train," a BTP spokesman said.

"The incident was reported to BTP at 5.03am and was also attended by Metropolitan Police officers.

"London Ambulance Service medics attended but the man, believed to be 23 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene.

"The incident was reported to BTP at 5.03am and is currently being treated as non-suspicious. A file will be prepared for the coroner."

Maynard left Glamorgan last year to join Surrey and turned out for them last night for their Twenty20 contest with Kent in Beckenham.

Maynard scored a maiden first-class century in Cardiff last year and impressed in all forms of the game.

A right-handed batsman and right-arm off-break, Maynard's style had been likened to that of Kevin Pietersen.

Maynard, who was born in Cardiff, had been widely tipped to go on and represent England having turned out for England Lions last winter.

Only last week, however, he was disciplined by Surrey for being out late during a Championship match against Sussex in Horsham.

As a mark of respect, Surrey's T20 game against Hampshire Royals at the Kia Oval scheduled for Wed June 20 has been postponed.

Surrey Chairman Richard Thompson said: “Our thoughts at this awful time are with Tom’s family and friends and all those that were close to him.

"Tom Maynard was a prodigiously talented young batsman who had made an incredible start to his career and was clearly destined for far greater things. The impact Tom made in such a short period of time for Surrey CCC spoke for itself. There is a profound sense of loss at the passing of Tom. To lose anybody at such a young age is an utterly senseless tragedy.”

ECB Chairman Giles Clarke said: “This is a very sad day for everyone connected with Surrey County Cricket club and for Glamorgan County Cricket club where Tom spent the early part of his career.

"Tom was a player of enormous potential who had already represented England Lions and had an exciting future ahead of him. Our hearts go out to the Maynard family for their tragic loss and we send them and all Tom’s many friends and colleagues within the game our deepest sympathies.”

RIP.

 

[Joshawott]

Considering he was found dead on the tracks after being struck by a train...for him not to be announced dead at the scene would have been quite a medical blunder :S. Not a good way to go at all, but one has to as what the hell he was doing in the first place.

My condolences to the family, friends and fans.

 

[Taka88]

It is awful news. Tom Maynard could get in England cricket in the future and he is very talent players. Thought of his family and friends.

 

[Mutsumi]

I would be interested to know why he was fleeing the police. Until that is known, I cannot form an accurate opinion.

 

[MaxonTreik]

I would be interested to know why he was fleeing the police. Until that is known, I cannot form an accurate opinion.

You can't form an opinion that getting hit by a train and dying is horrible?

 

[Rui]

I know what Mutsumi means though, the way it's been reported is unusual and makes it sound as though he was probably up to no good (which may of course not be the case at all). Terribly sad for his family and friends though, not to mention the poor train staff who would have been shocked by the incident, especially the driver of the train.

Whatever the facts of the incident, the newspapers haven't done a great job here. Was he drunk and endangering lives before suffering an accident, which would be a rather less sympathetic case for some of us, or was he just caught up in a misunderstanding and a tragic victim himself?

If they'd just said something like "successful young lad is killed by a train" and left all of the unconfirmed reports out, of course the natural reaction would be concern.

R

 

[Mutsumi]

I would be interested to know why he was fleeing the police. Until that is known, I cannot form an accurate opinion.

You can't form an opinion that getting hit by a train and dying is horrible?

Rui got it spot on; if this guy was a criminal fleeing justice and got into this accident as a result of his own recklessness while fleeing, it is very different to an innocent man simply taking a risk by crossing without looking, tripping and getting hit, etc. We do not know. Suffice to say, while I would not wish death on your average criminal, neither would I be especially sympathetic to one who brought about their own demise through crime, which in this case could be the crime of evading arrest plus some other possibly driving or alcohol related offence. My sympathies in this instance would be to the friends, family and witnesses, for they are the innocent parties hurt by this.

 

[Joshawott]

I would be interested to know why he was fleeing the police. Until that is known, I cannot form an accurate opinion.

You can't form an opinion that getting hit by a train and dying is horrible?

Rui got it spot on; if this guy was a criminal fleeing justice and got into this accident as a result of his own recklessness while fleeing, it is very different to an innocent man simply taking a risk by crossing without looking, tripping and getting hit, etc. We do not know. Suffice to say, while I would not wish death on your average criminal, neither would I be especially sympathetic to one who brought about their own demise through crime, which in this case could be the crime of evading arrest plus some other possibly driving or alcohol related offence. My sympathies in this instance would be to the friends, family and witnesses, for they are the innocent parties hurt by this.

This pretty much explains my feelings too.

It is tragic, not only that such a young life was lost, but also for those left behind (friends, family, co-workers etc), but could it have been avoided?

Why was he out at such a late time? Why was he driving erratically and why did he try to evade the police? It's not a "All criminals deserve to die" thing, it's a "This could have EASILY been avoided" thing, which makes it more tragic, but less easy to sympathise with.

 

[ayase]

I think there's the issue of proportion though as well guys. It's a bad idea and a criminal offence to drink and drive, sure. If he was doing so, and had been caught by police and fined, had points deducted from his licence and spent a night in the cells then no, I wouldn't have felt sympathetic to his plight. That would be fair and proportional to the crime. But the guy is f*cking dead, he didn't deserve that. I find it hard to believe people can be truly unsympathetic to any such a sad and senseless death, but then I also find it hard to believe a lot of the opinions I read on the BBC website's Have Your Say section.

 

[Mutsumi]

He didn't die as punishment for his alleged crime, he died from choosing to take a risk, allegedly while fleeing justice for a crime. Any death is a sad thing, but if the person who died is to blame for their own death due to doing something reckless or stupid, it will be judged differently than one who was not at fault.

 

[Rui]

We don't even know he was drunk at all though, that's why it's so bizarre. The poor guy could well have been driving erratically because he was having a mental health episode and deliberately flung himself under a train in despair, which would be a potentially horrible reading of the available facts.

If someone had had a friend or family member killed by say, a drunk driver, I could see easily why they would be less sympathetic to someone who met their end that way. It's not a matter of it being unlawful, it's because it's a stupid and completely avoidable way of needlessly endangering other people's precious lives. The fact that nobody else was hurt or killed might be more nothing more than chance. I'm not personally comfortable with chance being the deciding factor between finding an act acceptable or not.

Anyway, I'm not saying this was the case here, just that I feel compassion for the family members and all of his friends, and I prefer to reserve my personal reaction about the guy himself until it's made more clear what the circumstances were in the first place. If anything my real confusion is with the press for choosing to report things in this way and cloud the matter rather than investigating fully before linking things together.

R

 

[ayase]

He didn't die as punishment for his alleged crime, he died from choosing to take a risk, allegedly while fleeing justice for a crime. Any death is a sad thing, but if the person who died is to blame for their own death due to doing something reckless or stupid, it will be judged differently than one who was not at fault.

Well okay, but here:

if this guy was a criminal fleeing justice and got into this accident as a result of his own recklessness while fleeing, it is very different to an innocent man simply taking a risk by crossing without looking, tripping and getting hit, etc.

You say it was innocence which was the difference, not recklessness or stupidity. Both people in those two scenarios are equally reckless or stupid. Even if someone trips over the platform while not being intentionally reckless, they were responsible for their own death because they should have looked where they were going. The only kind of person not responsible would be someone deliberately pushed off the platform against their will. Accidental death is accidental death, by it's very nature it could always have been avoided.

If someone had had a friend or family member killed by say, a drunk driver, I could see easily why they would be less sympathetic to someone who met their end that way. It's not a matter of it being unlawful, it's because it's a stupid and completely avoidable way of needlessly endangering other people's precious lives. The fact that nobody else was hurt or killed might be more nothing more than chance. I'm not personally comfortable with chance being the deciding factor between finding an act acceptable or not.

I understand the reasons that would lead people to be less sympathetic, but I'd hope their situation wouldn't lead them to be indifferent to an unconnected person's death. Besides, even people who abhor the idea of drink-driving sober might still end up doing it if they got sufficiently drunk. It's the drinking to excess which is the real problem, and I find it hard to place the blame for that squarely on the shoulders of the individual. People drink too much for all kinds of reasons, many of which others will never know or understand. While I agree that it is ultimately their responsibility, that doesn't make the fact that they feel the need to do it any less of a terrible shame.