Father of four Mr Squire was working on the track at Ancaster, near Sleaford, when the accident happened.

He was taken to hospital with a cracked rib, punctured lung and ruptured liver, but died in Grantham and District Hospital later on March 5, 2004.

A jury at the coroner's court in Sleaford heard that Mr Squire (34) had been replacing sleepers on the line as part of a £5 million upgrade programme of the link between Grantham and Skegness.

He and his crew had been working through the night to minimise disruption on the line and the job was lit by large arc lamps when the accident happened, at 7.45pm.

Lincoln and District coroner Roger Atkinson told the jury that Mr Squire appeared to have been behind a large yellow machine called an LFT, which is used to pack in the new sleepers.

He was either standing behind it or getting something from the back of it.

"A digger behind on the track appears to have run into the back of the LFT machine, catching Mr Squire between the two," said Mr Atkinson.

Pathologist Professor Guy Rutty, who performed the post-mortem examination, said: "There were serious crush injuries to the chest and the abdomen, either of which could have proved fatal.

"The ninth rib was broken on the right side of the body and that had punctured the lung.

"In the abdominal cavity I found that the liver had sustained a substantial crush injury and there was almost a pint of blood.

"Both injuries were consistent with a severe localised compression to the right hand side of the body, which is consistent with the scenario presented of him being trapped between two vehicles.

"In my opinion his injuries were so severe that regardless of the treatment he received I would have expected him to die."

A sharp implement had penetrated Mr Squire's right thigh, coming out the other side. Fragments of yellow paint had been found inside the injury.

Mr Squire was working for engineering company Mowlem, which had been subcontracted by Network Rail to carry out the maintenance of the track.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive is still ongoing and prosecutions against Network Rail, Mowlem or any of their employees have not been ruled out.

Earlier this year Mr Squire's family unveiled a memorial plaque to him at Ancaster station.

His four children, mother, sister and extended family held a quiet dedication ceremony before unveiling the plaque, which is inscribed with a poem written by his children for his funeral.

Mr Squire grew up in London and had just moved to Lincolnshire six months before the accident.
The inquest was expected to continue today.