An inquest has heard that 17-year-old Herbie Ballard acted "devastatingly out of character" when he stepped in front of a train at a pedestrian crossing in Whitstable, Kent, on the evening of 22 April, just hours after drinking pints with friends. The coroner's hearing in Maidstone was told he died in a moment of "intense emotional crisis" following a heated argument with his ex-girlfriend, which began at a pub before continuing at his family home. His death, and the family's account of how swiftly his mood changed, has prompted calls for greater understanding that young people can experience extreme emotional distress without any prior warning signs.

The inquest heard Herbie left the family home barefoot after telling his mother, Tara, "I'm going to kill myself" — words she said she had never heard him use before. He ran towards a nearby railway crossing, followed by his ex-girlfriend, who tried to persuade him away from the tracks; the train driver described one of the two figures moving towards the train in a way that seemed "more deliberate than accidental", though visibility was poor. A post-mortem found Herbie died of multiple injuries, with alcohol present in his system, but the coroner said this did not suggest he was too intoxicated to understand his actions. He had no history of mental health diagnoses or prior suicidal indications, and his family described him as a sociable, hard-working teenager who was excited about his job, due to sit his driving theory test, and had a car waiting for him.