At around 20:33 hrs on Tuesday 1 February 2022, a passenger train travelling at approximately 33 mph (53 km/h) struck a train driver who had previously exited the cab of a train, which was stationary in West Worthing Middle Siding. The driver suffered injuries that were immediately fatal. It was dark at the time of the accident, and the crew in the moving train were initially unaware that they had struck a person.
When the stationary train in the middle siding did not leave at its scheduled departure time, the signaller attempted to contact the driver. When the signaller could not get a response, he instructed the next train on an adjacent line to stop alongside the stationary train and to contact the driver. The driver of this third train found the driver who had been struck.