A mother made one last call as she walked along the railway tracks before being hit by a freight train, an inquest has heard.
Jill Parton, 46, FaceTimed her partner as she walked along train tracks near a station in Greater Manchester, before frantically calling police.
The mother, who was also a former pub landlady, was near Heaton Chapel station in Stockport in the early hours of June 3 when she was hit by a freight train.
An inquest into Jill’s death was opened yesterday.
Police coroner Alison Catlow said police learned of Jill’s death after receiving a call from someone described in court as a “colleague”.
Mother Jill Parton died after being hit by a freight train in Greater Manchester on June 3.
The 46-year-old woman made a final call to her “partner” while walking along the train tracks, an investigation has found
Ms Catlow told the court: ‘On June 3 at 3.59am British Transport Police received a call from Network Rail reporting that a freight train had hit someone near Heaton Chapel station.
‘After an exhaustive search for fingerprints, a woman was found with injuries inconsistent with her life.
‘British Transport Police received a call from Greater Manchester Police to inform them that they had received a call from the woman’s partner, stating that she had called him on FaceTime while they were on the train tracks.’
Ms Catlow added that Jill died from “severe traumatic injuries”.
Asked by coroner Christopher Murray if any mental health services had been involved with Jill, she replied: “I believe so, sir.”
The mother lived in Heaton Chapel and was well known for her time as landlady of The Crown Inn.
Her daughter, Amber Parton, previously said she “literally had nothing in her head” at the time she was told Jill had died.
Amber said: ‘I felt numb. It still doesn’t feel like it’s real. It’s just been me and my mum every day. I feel like she’s just going to walk through the door, like she’s not really gone.
“Especially because of the way it happened: she promised me she would never leave me. A few weeks ago she told me she was going through a hard time and didn’t want to be here, but she wouldn’t leave me. She was my best friend and we used to do everything together.”
Amber, 25, described her “cheerful” mother as a “lovely woman who would do anything for anyone”, recalling how she was a huge animal lover and also allowed more than 50 homeless people to stay in her home throughout her life.
Amber added: ‘I’d rather hang out with my mum than my friends. Anyone I talk to would say it’s not a normal mother-daughter relationship.
‘We told each other everything. Everyone was jealous of our friendship. She never judged me.’
Maxine Campbell, a friend of Jill’s for more than 30 years, has launched a petition to make small train stations safer in a bid to prevent deaths.
She described the 46-year-old as “like a sister” to her and the “life of the party.”
Ms Campbell said: ‘When she passed away I felt really sad, but then I thought about her laughing and doing silly things. I started laughing and I got angry with myself, because I was trying to be sad.
“She was kind and generous; everyone considered her their best friend.”
A full inquest is scheduled to be held at the same court on November 11.
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