A British motorhome driver had the scare of his life when his brakes failed at a railway crossing and he crashed into a moving train.
The 71-year-old driver and his wife was apparently unable to stop when barriers came down at a crossing in Littleport, Cambridgeshire. According to his family, the driver realised his brakes were not working and that he wouldn’t be able to stop in time to avoid a collision. He then steered around a stationary car in front of him and on to the track before hitting a train which had just left the station.
The driver suffered a compound fracture and had surgery on his foot. His 67-year-old wife, who suffered a broken nose, broken fingers and cuts to her hand and arms, has had surgery to her hand.
The Ely Standard reports that British Transport Police have been investigating the incident and officers have examined CCTV footage from the scene, as well as collecting witness statements.
The man’s daughter, Jo Rust, told the local paper she thinks her dad is a “hero” after he avoided hitting the car in front and pushing it into the train.
“The brakes failed and he had no choice,” she said. “He wasn’t overtaking or trying to jump the barriers to beat the train.”
The couple bought the motorhome several months ago and had been out several times with no problems.
“My dad was a professional driver before he retired and is very experienced,” said Ms Rust. “It was his quick-thinking that saved the incident from being much worse than it was.”
Road diversions were set up to send vehicles around the crossing, which is protected by both alarms and automatic half-barriers when a train is passing.
