Dad depressed after accident took own life on railway line

A DERBY father-of-two who suffered from depression, brought on after he was knocked off his bicycle by a drunken driver, took his own life, an inquest has ruled.

Howard Appleby told his wife he was taking his bike "round the block" when he left their Oakwood home on the evening of July 21 last year.

Instead, the 51-year-old cycled to the railway line at St Mary's Junction, Mansfield Road, where he lay on the tracks and was run over by a train.

The driver of the freight train raised the alarm and paramedics found Mr Appleby by the track, still breathing.

An ambulance took him to Derbyshire Royal Infirmary, where he was pronounced dead. Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner's Court heard how a post-mortem examination on his body revealed that the cause of his death was chest injuries due to extensive multiple rib fractures, which caused lacerations to both lungs.

Giving evidence in court, Mr Appleby's wife, Marie Appleby, of Harvest Way, said her husband became depressed following a road accident in 2005.

She said: "He was cycling home from work and was knocked off his bike by a drunk driver and injured his shoulder, which meant he was off work for six months.

"He found it (not being able to work) quite restricting.

"He was diagnosed with depression and prescribed anti-depressants."

Mrs Appleby, 47, a heart-failure specialist nurse, said that her husband's depression became worse after his father died in November 2007.

Asked by Michael Bird, assistant deputy coroner for Derby and South Derbyshire, if Mr Appleby had ever spoken about taking his own life, Mrs Appleby replied: "Yes, he had a couple of plans.

"We used to like going to Norfolk and he said he was going to cycle there and take an overdose and hide in the dunes so no one could find him."

Giving evidence in court the family's doctor, Nicholas Coxon, said he had referred Mr Appleby, an engineering inspector, to an anxiety-management programme.

He said: "There was a significant deterioration – there were gradual obsessive symptoms."

Mr Appleby saw consultant psychiatrist Dr Justin Hay three days before he took his life.

Dr Hay sent him home for the weekend on the condition he was visited each day by the crisis management team.

But giving evidence in court, community practitioner nurse Zoe Lee said the team failed to visit Mr Appleby the following day. She said: "I can only explain that was an error."

In returning a verdict of suicide, Mr Bird said: "I am satisfied that everyone did their best."