Man killed laying on railway line

DEPRESSED Robert Matuszczyk was killed when he was hit by a high speed commuter train after laying down on the track, an inquest heard.

The Ipswich-born 40-year-old had walked out of The Priory Clinic in North London where he was being treated for his illness.

He got off a train at Welwyn North station in Hertfordshire, a short distance from the home he shared with his wife and children in Sherrards Wood, and lay down on the track. There he was struck by the 18.50 Kings Cross to Peterborough train on January 16 this year.

A post mortem revealed he died from multiple injuries.

Hatfield Coroner's Court heard, on Thursday, that Mr Matuszczyk, a former pupil at St Joseph's College and St Pancras primary school, had been an outstanding rugby prop forward playing for Loughborough University and Hertfordshire.

But last year when the insurance company representative was on a train to Birmingham he suffered a panic attack, which led to his depressive illness.

The consultant psychiatrist who was treating him at the Priory Dr Neal Brener told the inquest: "He was very anxious. The panic attacks had developed into a depressive illness."

He said he was admitted to the Priory in December 2002 as a voluntary patient and was being treated with tranquillisers and anti depressants.

On January 16 he left the clinic in Southgate, North London and caught the train to his home station. He has missed a dose of the tranquilliser which, said Dr Brener, could have left him confused and disorientated.

His wife Amanda said she had spoken to Bob that day to tell him of the death of her grandmother and in conversations with the doctor on earlier occasions he had said he thought he should be at home.

The Coroner Edward Thomas recorded a verdict of accidental death saying there was not enough evidence to show he wanted to kill himself. He said he had missed his medication and may have suffered a panic attack, which would have caused him to lie down.