Senior human rights lawyer, 61, is killed by train after lying down on railway tracks on busy commuter line in Wales, inquest hears
- Michael Clarke, 61, was hit by a train near Heath High Level station in Cardiff
- An inquest has heard the legal expert laid down on the tracks of the busy line
- Despite seeing Mr Clarke and sounding an alarm, the driver couldn’t stop in time
- The ‘passionate’ lawyer had recently split from his wife, before he died on July 13
A senior human rights lawyer died when he was hit by a train after lying down on the railway tracks of a busy Welsh commuter line, an inquest has heard.
Michael Clarke, 61, had recently split from his wife when he was found dead on the tracks near Heath High Level station in Cardiff, earlier this month.
The senior manager at the Equality and Human Rights Commission was described as a ‘passionate’ lawyer by colleagues, who said his loss would be ‘deeply felt’.
Michael Clarke, 61, was killed after he was hit by a train near Heath High Level station in Cardiff on July 13
An inquest heard a train driver saw Mr Clarke on the track ahead on July 13 and raised the alarm – but was unable to stop in time.
The hearing was told Mr Clarke suffered ‘significant’ injuries and had to be identified by his fingerprints after his body was found.
Police were called to the scene near Heath High Level station in Cardiff after a man was ‘seen to lay down on the train track.’
A coroner’s officer said: ‘The train driver sounded the alarm – however, the train struck the man’.
The hearing at Pontypridd Coroner’s Court was told ‘this was thought to be a deliberate act’.
A provisional cause of death was given as ‘significant head and neck injuries.’
Mr Clarke was seen lying down on railway tracks near the station in Heath, Cardiff on July 13
Mr Clarke worked in Hong Kong for many years before returning to the UK and becoming a partner at Cardiff-based law firm Blake Morgan.
In 2017 he joined the Equality and Human Rights Commission as manager of international and corporate policy at their Wales HQ in Cardiff.
Mr Clarke had been living in Cardiff before he died earlier this month
Rebecca Hilsenrath, Chief Executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: ‘We are all profoundly saddened by the passing of Michael.
‘He was a highly valued friend and colleague to teams across the Commission.
‘He believed passionately in what he did and made a significant contribution at an important time to our work on equality and human rights.
‘His loss will be deeply felt.’
Mr Clarke had been living in a plush Cardiff city centre apartment near the EHRC office in Cardiff before his death.
Coroner Graeme Hughes scheduled a full inquest to take place in August next year.
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