Mum of Ukrainian teen who died falling from Dawlish sea wall calling for improved safety measures

  • Watch Sam Blackledge's report

The mother of a teenage girl who died after falling from the sea wall at Dawlish says she lost her 'best friend' - and wants safety improvements to stop it happening again.

Albina Yevko suffered multiple injuries in the accident earlier this year.

Her mother, Inna, told ITV West Country she wants her daughter's death to inspire change, and is calling on Network Rail to install handrails or lighting before somebody else is hurt.

"She was not just my daughter" Inna said. "She was everything for me. We were together in Ukraine, and she was my friend. She was my child. She was a person that I could talk to and she taught me to love."

Albina moved to Devon with her mother following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Credit: Family photo

Albina had been walking home along the sea wall, a route she had taken many times before. But later that night she was found unconscious on the beach, having fallen. She died in hospital.

Inna and her friend, Rosie Dawson, are now calling for Network Rail to make safety improvements. "There's nothing to stop anyone falling", Rosie said.

"There's nothing to stop anyone who's who's tripped or been distracted by a train or by their phone. There could be lights, there could be luminous paint on the very edge, there could be railings."

"This is a child's life, and it could be another child's life. Or it could be someone with a baby in a pram."

Network Rail says handrails would be difficult to install and maintain. Credit: ITV News

A Network Rail spokesman said: "We were saddened to hear of the passing of Albina Yevko and we’ve met with the family to express our condolences and discuss their concerns relating to the sea wall.

"Following the collapse of the sea wall in 2014, we conducted a risk assessment of the wall. Now that we have completed the new sea wall at Dawlish, we will do a new risk assessment to understand if there have been any changes which would affect the level of risk in this area.

"Handrails along all sections of the sea wall would be difficult to install and maintain effectively given the harsh coastal environment.  All options will be considered as part of the new risk assessment."

A petition has been set up urging Network Rail to make changes.