Student killed in New Year tragedy
Matt Meade • Published 6 Jan 2012 10:30
1 Comment
A TALENTED and 'inspirational' Culross man was killed after being hit by a train on New Year's Day.
Calum Burt (20), a student at Cambridge University, is believed to have been struck by the freight service that was heading through the village to Longannet Power Station at around 10am.
British Transport Police (BTP), who are investigating the incident, said they believed there were no suspicious circumstances.
While the circumstances surrounding the death remain unclear the Press understands it was the result of high jinx.
One villager told the Press, "We heard it was a (train) driver coming back who saw him.
"The police came flying through with flashing lights."
Calum, a former Dollar Academy pupil, studied Natural Sciences at the prestigious university and he was also a talented musician.
In his final year at the school he won The Colin Sneddon Memorial Prize for Physics and the mathematics prize for his year.
Tributes to Calum were made by shocked friends on Twitter.
Jodie Muirhead said, "Thoughts are with the friends and family of Calum Burt.
"What an inspiration and great example of our youth. You will be sadly missed. RIP xx."
Kirsten McIntyre said, "Absolutely shocked and upset beyond belief that one of the guys in my year at school was killed yesterday. RIP Calum Burt."
Richard Partington, senior tutor at Churchill College, University of Cambridge, told the Press, "Churchill College was shocked and devastated to learn that Mr Calum Burt, a second-year undergraduate Natural Scientist, had been tragically killed on New Year's Day.
"Calum was a wonderful person: happy, full of life, focused and immensely talented, with a great future ahead of him.
"He will be terribly missed and our sincerest sympathies go to his family and friends at this dreadful time.
"We will be memorialising Calum in college in due course."
The freight train involved was the 0900 Inverkeithing to Moss End service.
A BTP spokesman said, "BTP officers were called to the line close to Longannet Power Station on Sunday 1st January following the report of a man being struck by a train.
"BTP and Fife Constabulary officers attended the incident which was reported to police at 10.23am and is currently being treated as non-suspicious.
"Paramedics also attended but the man, believed to be a 20-year-old from Culross, was pronounced dead at the scene.
"A full report will be submitted to the local procurator fiscal."
Have your say. Post a comment on this article.
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cosimpson
11 posts
Jan 11, 04:26
Report commentWhilst it may ultimately turn out to be correct, I think the line in the report that the sad death of Calum may have been down to `high jinx` appears to be speculation from an unattributed source and should have been omitted from the article until the results of any inquest are known . Insensitive in the extreme in my opinion. RIP
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