Cyclist and father of three, 34, was 'listening to music on his earphones when he was killed on a level crossing' Phil Dawn 'did not flinch' when the train's horn sounded twice Two walkers shouted to get his attention but he seemed oblivious to them Father-of-three was found with headphones hooked up to his phone Phil Dawn, 34, was found with his headphones hooked up to his mobile phone after the collision A cyclist was killed on a level crossing while seemingly oblivious to the approaching train because he was listening to music on his earphones. Phil Dawn, a father-of-three, failed to hear the passenger train's horn as it thundered towards him, or the shouts of horrified bystanders who tried to stop the cyclist from moving on to the crossing. An inquest heard Mr Dawn, 34, "did not flinch" despite the desperate attempts of two walkers to alert him to the oncoming danger. Giving evidence at Nottingham Coroner's Court Thomas Butler said he and his friend Grant Pinhold heard the train twice sound its horn moments after seeing the cyclist ride on to the tracks - but he didn't seem to hear them or the approaching train. Mr Dawn had been cycling home from his job as a precision engineer when he was hit by the train on the King's Mill crossing near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. His earphones were hooked up to his mobile phone but were found to be dangling loose of his ears following the collision, meaning the coroner could not be certain he had been listening to them at the point of impact. But she recorded a verdict of accidental death after concluding Mr Dawn may have been distracted by listening to music in the build-up to the fatal incident. Jane Gillespie, the assistant deputy coroner for Nottinghamshire, said: "I conclude for reasons we will never know with absolute certainty, Mr Dawn rode on to the track with no regard for his safety. I find in balance that Mr Dawn didn't hear the shouts or the horn. Despite the sounding of the horn, he didn't react, flinch, or divert from the path, let along look at the direction of the train. Sadly I'm driven to the view that the single most important aspect in this case was the behaviour of Mr Dawn himself. At the time of the tragedy in May last year, Network Rail said Mr Dawn was thought to have been listening to music. Witnesses had reported seeing the cyclist, wearing headphones under his hood, approached the lowered barriers and manoeuvre his bike around them. The divorced father-of-three was cycling home from work when he was killed at the crossing near Mansfield. A 'stop, look, listen' sign was in place. Plans to install a red and green warning light two months before Mr Dawn's death had been delayed The footpath crossing had "wicket gates" and a "Stop, Look and Listen" sign. The train which struck Mr Dawn had been travelling from Nottingham to Mansfield Woodhouse. The three-day inquest at Nottingham heard a risk assessment of the crossing in 2007 found that installing red and green warning lights at the location could improve safety. Network Rail had also drawn up plans to put a bridge over the train line at the crossing two months before Mr Dawn's death. But the scale of the project meant it hadn't been implemented. Rail bosses also said a number of changes had been made to the crossing since Mr Dawn's death, including a redesigned approach to the crossing, vegetation management, and a temporary reduction in speed. A Network Rail spokesman said: "A very early feasibility study was completed at this site, as with many others in the East Midlands, to establish if it is physically possible to construct a bridge at this site. Mr Dawn's sister, Tracy Hart, 40, said her brother, who was divorced, was not known to regularly wear earphones while cycling, although he regularly commuted by bicycle to "keep up his fitness." Following the inquest at Nottingham Coroner's Court, Mr Dawn's sister Tracy Hart said 'human beings get distracted and make poor decisions' Mrs Hart, also of Kirkby-in-Ashfield, "We have always known that Phillip was not under the influence of any substances, was not breaking the law in any way, and only acted within human nature. Phil wasn't acting the fool, he was just cycling his way home after a hard day at work. Human beings get distracted, make poor decisions and experience inattention blindness. Human beings in the 21st century wear earphones. We hold the belief that Network Rail has a responsibility for user safety. All that was there was a basic black and white warning sign. We feel it should have been in conspicuous bright colours that caught the eye. The verdict of accidental death was expected but the family are disappointed that following the acceptance of Network Rail of a need for a bridge prior to the accident, that it failed to implement any interim safety measures such as a reduction in speed. Since Philip only needed a fraction of a second more to get off the crossing, we believe that this would have saved his life.