Metro death was accidental: coroner

Audrey-Anne Dumont, who died on the tracks at the Monk metro station on April 19, might have fallen on the tracks after being distracted by her smartphone. (Image: inmemoriam.ca)

The coroner's office has concluded that a young woman was the victim of an innocent mistake when she stepped between two metro cars and fell to her death in April.

Audrey-Anne Dumont was on her way home on the morning of April 19, 2013 when she attempted to board the metro at the Monk station. Instead she accidentally stepped between two cars.

Nobody saw her fall, and it was only two stops later that the metro driver halted the train and investigated a burning smell, leading to the discovery of Dumont's body.

Initial reports suggested Dumont was distracted by sending and reading text messages on her cell phone, but surveillance video analyzed by the coroner shows she actually had her hands in her pockets or at her side when she fell.

The video shows Dumont was the last person on the platform, and had her head down when she stepped off. She grabbed the side of one metro car but fell into the gap and was completely hidden from view.

The coroner's investigation shows she was not using any medication or drugs, had no history of suicidal thoughts, and did not suffer from any physical or mental illness.

Coroner Catherine Rudel-Tessier says the evidence points to nothing more than an accident, that might have been avoided if the platform had a more prominent indication of where the doors on the metro train were located.