A 37-year-old motorcyclist was killed by a train because he failed to check it was safe to cross the line between two fields in the Cotswolds, a coroner ruled today.

Paul Martin's died while on a ride with his friends who had both ridden across the Swindon to Gloucester line at Frampton Mansell, but as he did he was struck a glancing blow by a two carriage train doing 45mph, an inquest heard today.

British Transport Police investigator John Wilson said the trio of riders had done everything right in holding pedestrian gates for each other to cross but their fatal error was not to use the phone at the crossing to check with the local signal box that it was safe to cross.

Recording an accidental death verdict on Mr Martin, a dad to be, of Cashes Green Road, Stroud, the senior Gloucestershire coroner Katy Skerrett said: "This was one tragic error with terribly tragic consequences."

Mr Martin's heavily pregnant widow Lorna attended the inquest with his parents but did not wish to comment after the hearing.

The Gloucester inquest was told Mr Martin set out for a ride on his scramble bike in the late afternoon of 11th May this year with friend Matthew Benson and his neighbour Darrell Papps.

Mr Benson described how he arrived at the 'accommodation crossing' first and opened the pedestrian gate. Mr Martin, known to his friends as 'Ches,' then took the gate and held it for him to ride through.

On reaching the other side he held the gate open there and Mr Papps rode over, he said.

"I walked back to Ches and leaned over to hold the gate open. I saw him ride off and start crossing. He was going in a straight line. I thought nothing of it.

"Then I saw out of the corner of my eye a train approaching at speed. I thought Ches had made it. I watched and could do nothing.

"I heard the sound of plastic knocking and I saw the train go by and could see the three bikes on the ground.

"They were scattered around but I couldn't see Ches. Fifty metres down the track I could see the helmet and jacket of Ches. I went to him. He looked asleep. There was no movement. It felt like a lifetime. I tried to find a pulse and couldn't.

"I have used that crossing twice with Ches before. He was always safety conscious and careful and this day seemed no different."

Investigator Mr Wilson said the crossing was one provided for access between fields. The main vehicle gates were padlocked bu the pedestrian gates were unlocked.

He said his enquiries revealed that Mr Martin was 'within a split second of being missed completely' by the train.

"Had he looked to the left he may have seen the train coming but there is no evidence that he did look to the left," he said.

Mr Wilson said he was satisfied that the three riders 'did everything absolutely right' in terms of holding gates open for each other but there was one critical failure and that was to use the trackside phone.

"If they had made that call they would have been told there was a train coming," he said. In a statement Darrell Papps said he had not expected the train and he had not heard it approaching. After seeing Ches on the line he rode to the White Horse pub to raise the alarm.

Train driver Stuart Robertson stated he saw a scrambler bike riding across in front of him and looking straight ahead. He sounded his horn and applied the brakes Mr Robertson said he could not see for 20 feet immediately in front of his cab and he hoped he had missed Mr Martin but then heard the impact.

"I am of the firm opinion that this was a tragic accident as the rider did not appear to see me until the last second," he stated.

Level crossing manager Richard Atkinson said all safety measures including signs and the phone at the crosisng were checked in January this year and everything was in order.

A post mortem report said Mr Martin died from multiple injuries.

The coroner said: "The one tragic mistake they made was not to use the telephone handsets available on either side of the track. They didn't check to see if a train was approaching."