A City lawyer who worked 18-hour days was killed after falling onto an East London railway track, an inquest has found. Vanessa Ford died of multiple injuries after she fell onto the line and was struck by a train during an ‘acute mental health crisis’ having consumed a ‘significant amount’ of alcohol, Inner North London Coroner’s Court heard in February.
There was ‘insufficient evidence’ to say the 47-year-old mum-of-two intended to take her own life, which is why assistant coroner Ian Potter chose to record a narrative conclusion and not suicide. Mr Potter also issued a prevention of future deaths report (PFD) warning of the dangers of street furniture that might allow suicidal people to access sections of the railway.
Vanessa went missing on September 23 last year, sparking a social media campaign with doorbell footage of her last movements. Three days later on September 26, British Transport Police (BTP) confirmed Vanessa had died on the tracks of the London Overground.
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The inquest heard Vanessa, a senior equity partner at Pinsent Masons, was working 18-hour days advising on the ‘all-consuming’ sale of Everton Football Club in the months prior to her death.
But Matthew Morgan, head of the law firm’s finance and restructuring group, told the court Vanessa had not raised concerns about stress or work-life balance, reports Law.com. Mr Morgan reportedly described the takeover of Everton by US private equity buyer 777 Partners as a ‘once-in-a-few-years transaction’ and said, in these situations, working such long hours was not unheard of.
Pinsent Masons – where partners on average are paid £797,000 each – said it has started contacting clients to discuss issues raised in response to the coroner’s ruling, the Daily Telegraph reports. A Pinsent Masons spokesperson told MyLondon the firm wants work-life balance to be an ‘ongoing conversation’ with employees.
‘Street furniture may pose similar risks’
In his PFD, issued to Network Rail and Hackney Council, the coroner warned about the dangers of ‘numerous items of street furniture’ that might allow people to climb over walls and access the railway network.
Responding to evidence of three non-fatal incidents in the area in the 12 months before Vanessa’s death, Mr Potter said: “The concern here is that there is evidence to suggest that access to the railway tracks by members of the public may be a frequent issue in this vicinity.”
The evidence in question was CCTV and photos from BTP which showed a particular piece of wall used to access the tracks, which was ‘relatively low’ despite the 20ft drop. There was also evidence street furniture ‘may pose similar risks across the railway network’.
“This raises the concern that the mitigation/safety measures in place on the wall may not have been as effective as one might expect,” wrote Mr Potter. “The concern here is that the siting of items of street furniture…poses risks to all manner of members of the public, from those contemplating suicide, to young children, and may undermine safety efforts to impede easy access to the railway network.”
In response to the coroner’s report, a Network Rail spokesperson said: “Any fatality on the railway is taken extremely seriously and we will consider any recommendations made to improve safety in cooperation with other parties to minimise risk of the public accessing the railway.”
Interim Chief Executive of Hackney Council, Dawn Carter-McDonald, said: “We were very sorry and shocked to learn about the death of Vanessa Ford last year. Our thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends. We are carefully considering the Coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths Report and will be providing the Coroner with our response in due course.”
‘Much-loved and respected’
Managing partner at Pinsent Masons, Laura Cameron, said: “Vanessa was a much-loved and respected member of our firm, and we remain deeply saddened by her death. The inquest proceedings and conclusions were distressing to hear for all that knew her, and of course especially for her family and friends still grieving her loss.
“We work in a profession where balancing work and family life can be difficult and presents challenges – particularly for working parents. We want this to be an ongoing conversation with colleagues to ensure we are doing everything we can to support our people.
“Across the legal industry – and more generally in society – a stigma around mental health persists and this is challenging to address. With vigilance, refreshed support measures and ongoing dialogue, both internally and externally, we will seek to make positive and lasting change.”
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