A University of York professor was killed in a freak accident when a moving walkway collapsed at a railway station in Italy.

Professor Sally Baldwin, 62, of St John's Street, York, who was also a board member of York Hospitals NHS Trust, was among dozens of people standing on a travellator at Tiburtina station, in Rome, when it gave way.

The mother-of-two, who was on a week-long trip to Rome with friends, including her ex-husband, Jack Baldwin, was crushed by revolving cylinders beneath the walkway. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Lanarkshire-born Professor Baldwin leaves a husband, Joe Callan, and two daughters, one of whom lives in York.

The horrific accident yesterday morning left two Italians injured, including a train driver whose legs were crushed as he tried to help Professor Baldwin.

A British Embassy spokeswoman in Rome said: "I can confirm that a British woman has died after an incident on a moving walkway at Tiburtina station.

"She was with two other British nationals at the time. Neither of them were hurt but they were both extremely shocked."

Officials from Italy's railway network, RFI, have launched an investigation into the tragedy.

Italian police said the inquiry would centre on five panels which had been removed from the walkway during maintenance but which had not been replaced.

A Rome police spokesman said: "Repair work was going on at the time on the walkway, but it is too early to say whether this was the cause of the woman's death."

Friends and colleagues of Prof Baldwin paid tribute to her, calling her an "inspiration".

The Reverend Keith Jukes, the vicar of Selby Abbey, who joined the health trust at the same time as Professor Baldwin, said: "I came to know Sally as a person of immense insight.

"Her whole sense of professionalism, both in her work for the university and on the trust board, was an inspiration to us all.

"She was a wonderful person to be alongside. She always championed the cause of the ordinary person. She was a very caring person. We will miss her very much."

Prof Baldwin, a Glasgow University graduate, joined the University of York's department of social administration in 1973. She became director of the social policy department in 1988, a role she left last year, although she remained within the department.

Professor Alan Maynard, chairman of York Hospitals NHS Trust and a university colleague, said: "It does seem an appalling tragedy. She was very hard working, a remarkable academic with a reputation for her work."

Professor Jonathan Bradshaw, head of the Social Policy and Social Work Department at the University of York said: "Sally Baldwin was a first-class researcher and a superb colleague.

"The work she did made a real difference to the lives of many people with disabilities and their carers, and she had a real influence in policy-making."

Updated: 10:57 Wednesday, October 29, 2003