Trains vs Motor Vehicles & Humans

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Male killed by train

Wairarapa Times-Age | 11:32AM - Wednesday, September 05, 2012


Emergency services at the scene where a man was struck and killed by a train. — Photo: Colin Williscroft.

POLICE have confirmed a 25-year-old man has been struck and killed by a southbound train in Masterton.

The incident happened near the intersection of Upper Manaia Road and Ngaumutawa Road this morning. Emergency services are now at the scene.

Police have referred the matter to the coroner.

http://www.times-age.co.nz/news/male-killed-by-train/1532435


Wairarapa train line closed after death

By SHABNAM DASTGHEIB - The Dominion Post | 4:52PM - Wednesday, 05 September 2012

A MAN is dead after being hit by a train in Masterton this morning.

Police and ambulance services were called to the death near Solway School just before 11am.

There were no suspicious circumstances around the death of the 25-year-old.

Emergency services were at the scene and trains on the Wairarapa line had been replaced by buses until further notice.

TranzMetro advised the 4.25pm ran from Wellington as scheduled but bus replacements from Featherston to Masterton were possible.

The line was completely re-opened about 4:50pm.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wairarapa/7616793/Wairarapa-train-line-closed-after-death

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

One dead after train and truck collide

Rail crossing collision near Woodville

Manawatu Standard | 6:55PM - Wednesday, 19 December 2012


AT THE SCENE: Emergency services and KiwiRail workers at
a rail crossing north of Woodville where a light truck was
hit by a freight train. — ROBERT KITCHIN/Fairfax NZ.

ONE MAN is confirmed dead after a light truck was hit by a train just outside Woodville this afternoon.

Constable Christopher Wakelin said the incident happened at about 5pm at a rail crossing on Powdrell Road.

The man was the only occupant of the truck, which was carrying firewood. His body has been removed from the vehicle.

The collision with a Palmerston North-bound milk train left debris strewn along the railway line.

"It was hit pretty hard, so we have a lot of area to cover," Mr Wakelin said.

Police, fire, St John and Kiwirail staff are at the scene.

Powdrell Road has been closed while a scene examination is carried out.

Police Acting Inspector Bruce Mackay said "a truck has crossed onto a crossing from a dead-end side street. The impact pushed the small truck off the road."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/8100499/One-dead-after-train-and-truck-collide

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

The photograph is a CLICKY-THINGIE....

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

KiwiRail alarm at near miss crashes

Wairarapa Times-Age | 7:07AM - Monday, February 10, 2014


TOO CLOSE: A car dodging past stopped cars in front of a train at the Renall Street crossing in Masterton
is one of nearly 20 near misses so far this year in New Zealand. — LYNDA FERINGA/Wairarapa Times-Age.

NEAR COLLISIONS between motorists and trains at level crossings — 19 near misses already recorded in January — are alarming KiwiRail and police.

The close calls include an incident in Masterton in which a car overtook traffic waiting at the Renall Street level crossing and passed over the crossing at speed.

Kiwirail says 12 of the near misses were at crossings similar to Renall Street, with flashing lights and bells, and in four incidents a vehicle overtook stationary vehicles to cross.

In one instance a motorist had to swerve to avoid the train, while another was just 10 metres in front of the train, KiwiRail chief executive Jim Quinn said.

"We are horrified to think motorists would deliberately put themselves, and any passengers they may have in such grave danger," he said.

"There is no journey so important that it can't wait a couple of minutes."

Trains were large and heavy and could be travelling faster than they appeared and simply couldn't stop quickly, Mr Quinn said.

"There is nothing our train drivers can do when confronted with a situation like this other than to sound their horn, and hope for the best. It is a very distressing situation for them."

"We urge motorists to heed the level-crossing alarms, never enter a crossing if they can see a train approaching, but be patient and wait for it to pass."

National rail safety charity TrackSAFE NZ (formerly the Chris Cairns Foundation) also urges the New Zealand public to exercise caution at level crossings.

"Unfortunately if people continue to engage in the reckless and impatient behaviour that we have already seen this year, then it is only a matter of time before we potentially have another tragedy on the railway."

When train drivers were able to get the registration details of vehicles those were passed on to the police to follow up on, and the motorist involved could be prosecuted.

Police Inspector Mark Stables said level-crossing alarms and signs were there for the safety of motorists and it was an offence to ignore them. "All level crossings have some protection. Whether the crossing has flashing lights and bells or a Give Way or Stop sign, motorists should approach and behave at level crossings in the same way as they would a road intersection."

In 2013 KiwiRail recorded 107 near collisions with vehicles at level crossings . Nearly half of those occurred at crossings with flashing lights and bells operating and 40 percent at crossings with half arm barriers operating. The remaining 16 percent of near collisions occurred at crossings with either a Give Way or Stop sign.

In 2012 154 near collisions were reported by rail staff and most were at crossings with active protection.

An unprotected rail crossing, in Wiltons Road, Carterton, has been the scene of two fatalities, in 2002 and 2013.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/wairarapa-times-age/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503414&objectid=11199229

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

from The Ashburton Guardian....

Truck hit by train

By MICHELLE NELSON | Monday, 7th July 2014



ASHBURTON emergency services scrambled to deal with two serious accidents on Mid Canterbury roads yesterday, which resulted in two people being hospitalised with serious injuries.

Shortly after 8am police, fire and ambulance services were called to the scene of smash on the Northpark Road railway crossing.

A truck driven by the sole occupant travelling west toward State Highway One crossed into the path of a southbound freight train on a Give Way-controlled crossing.

The impact pushed the truck off the crossing into a nearby paddock. The train continued some 500 metres before stopping.



The truck was extensively damaged and the front of the train sustained significant damage.

The truck driver was initially treated at Ashburton Hospital and later airlifted to Christchurch Hospital where he remains in a critical condition. The driver of the train was not injured.

Witnesses told police the train driver sounded warning devices immediately before the collision.

Serious crash and commercial vehicle investigators are examining the crash.



The contentious crossing, with no lights or barrier arms, is used by hundreds of drivers every day, predominately to enter and exit the Ashburton Business Park. It was the scene of another crash involving a truck in May last year. Sunstrike was blamed on that occasion.

In 2002 a motorcyclist was killed at the crossing after he was struck by a train, and neighbours have reported countless near misses.

At about 2.40pm all hands were on deck again, this time on Wakanui Road in the Elgin district where a tractor was struck from behind by a 4WD travelling in the same direction. The tractor was split in half by the impact and its driver was transported to hospital. No further information about his condition was available last night.

http://www.guardianonline.co.nz/news/latest-news/truck-hit-by-train


from The Dominion Post....

Hawke's Bay man killed in train collision

By BLAIR ENSOR | 1:18PM - Wednesday, 09 July 2014


DRIVER: George Ellis died after his truck collided with a train. — Photo: Facebook.

TWO young men who died in tragic circumstances will be remembered during a minute's silence before tonight's Ranfurly Shield clash between Mid-Canterbury and Counties Manukau.

George Robert Ellis, 22, of Hawke's Bay, suffered critical injuries when the truck he was driving collided with a train in Ashburton on Monday. He died yesterday.

Ellis had recently graduated from Lincoln University near Christchurch and moved south to take up a job for WaterForce Asburton.

He played division 1 rugby for the Southern Rugby Club, which is part of the Mid-Canterbury Rugby Union. Four of Ellis' team-mates will play for Mid-Canterbury in tonight's Ranfurly Shield clash in Pukekohe. They visited him in Christchurch Hospital yesterday shortly before he died.

A Southern Rugby Club spokesman said: "The team are devastated by all this."

Ellis was a talented wing, who was nicknamed "Badger" by his team-mates since he joined the club this season.

"He certainly became a very popular member of the team," the spokesman said.

"He scored some pretty good tries in the club comp."

Ellis and Jordan Kemp, 17, would be remembered during a minute's silence at this evening's Ranfurly Shield clash, the spokesman said.

Kemp died after he collapsed during a game in Whangarei on Saturday.

It was believed he suffered a brain bleed after a clash of heads.

Ellis' friends have posted messages on Facebook describing him as a "champion bloke" who always had a smile on his face and who was "tragically taken far too soon".

"Rest in peace George. A top man and you will be very sorely missed," Monty White said.

"Rest easy mate, a good bloke taken far too soon, thoughts are with you and your family," Sam Houston said.

"Rest easy mate, champion bloke and your going to be missed so much," Tom Carter said.

Ellis' parents live in Ongaonga in Hawke's Bay. A woman at the couple's home said they were still in Christchurch and not available to comment.

Ellis was driving a truck owned by WaterForce Ashburton and was attempting to negotiate a give-way controlled railway crossing when the crash happened.

Witnesses told police that the truck was crossing the line and the train sounded its warning device on more than once immediately before the collision.

The truck was extensively damaged. The impact pushed the truck off the railway line into a nearby paddock and the train stopped some 500 metres further south along the line.

Anyone with information about the crash should contact Constable Fran Clark, at the Ashburton police station.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/10247989/Hawkes-Bay-man-killed-in-train-collision

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

from The Dominion Post....

Guilty plea in girlfriend's death

By Dominion Post staff reporters | 5:00AM - Wednesday, 08 October 2014


TRAGIC DEATH: Grace Diedrichs died when the ute
she was in collided with a train.

A TEENAGE DRIVER who collided with a commuter train, killing his 15-year-old girlfriend, has pleaded guilty to charges relating to her death.

Jonathan Caleb Painter, 18, of Pahiatua, appeared in Wellington District Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of aggravated careless use of a vehicle causing death.

He had previously pleaded not guilty to a charge of dangerous driving causing the death of Grace Ellen Diedrichs, 15, of Carterton.

Painter slammed on the brakes in his ute as he approached the uncontrolled rail crossing in Wiltons Road, between Carterton and Masterton, on February 17th last year, but was too late and smashed into the 7.50am train from Masterton to Wellington, which was travelling about 100km/h. The force of the collision flung Grace 20 metres from the crumpled ute.

The impact crushed the ute's bonnet and passenger side, sending it spinning off the road. Painter, who remained in the vehicle, suffered head injuries.

The smash was the second death at the crossing and then Carterton Mayor Ron Mark said at the time that it raised serious questions about its safety.

The rail crossing was the scene of a similar incident in 2002 when Daniel Robert Quin died when his ute drove into a train.


WRECKAGE: The scene of a crash involving a car and a train on Wiltons Road between Carterton and Masterton in which
one person died and another was seriously injured. — MAARTEN HOLL/Fairfax NZ.

Six months before Diedrichs' death the crossing was red-flagged by KiwiRail as having “significant defects” that could cause injury to road users.

In a letter to Carterton District Council from August 2012, KiwiRail area manager John Humphrey said the Wiltons Road crossing and four others were “priority 1” or “2”.

“This means the crossings have significant defects that have the risk of causing damage/injury to public road users and pedestrians and to KiwiRail employees, trains and property.”

Humphrey went on to call the crossings “high priority”, but agreed to defer repair work until after a work programme was arranged with the council.

A KiwiRail spokeswoman later said the “significant defects” related only to the road surface, and included things such as potholes and would have had no effect on incidents such as the one that killed Diedrichs.

Painter will be sentenced next month.

Related news story:

 • Young girl dies as teen brakes too late

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/10590775/Guilty-plea-in-girlfriends-death

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

from The Southland Times....

Close call at rail crossing

By Southland Times staff reporters | 9:23PM - Wednesday, 08 October 2014


DAMAGED: The truck was clipped in collision with a train.

THERE ARE few moments in life where the phrase “lucky to be alive” truly applies, but for one man whose truck collided with a passing train it certainly does.

About 10am today, a truck travelling along Circle Hill road, near Milton, had a “glancing blow” with a south-bound train at an uncontrolled crossing. The 43-year-old driver of the car was uninjured.

The man was “very, very lucky”, Southern District Command Centre senior sergeant Dave Scott said.

Had the incident happened a second earlier it would have been a different outcome, he said.

“I heard the dispatcher say it was a miracle he’d survived.”

The incident occurred at the Circle Hill road crossing, which has a Give Way sign. The man was the only occupant of the vehicle.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/10595435/Close-call-at-rail-crossing

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

from the Taranaki Daily News....

Train and fuel tanker crash in Inglewood

A fuel tanker and freight train have collided
in Inglewood, with no injuries.

5:48PM — Wednesday, 01 July 2015


Emergency services workers survey the damage after a tanker truck collided with a train in Inglewood
this afternoon, destroying the front part of the cab. The driver was uninjured.
 — Photo: Robert Charles/Fairfax NZ.

A SOUND like a shotgun was heard as a fuel tanker and freight train collided in Inglewood.

No one was injured in the crash between an empty Pacific Fuel Haul tanker and a northbound train at Inglewood's Standish Street rail crossing at approximately 3.30pm on Wednesday afternoon.

Cyclist Trevor Dalton said he was 50 metres away when the crash happened and claimed the train had sounded its horn long before he heard the vehicles collide.

“The train operator sat on the horn for a long time before you heard the thump — there's a toot and then there's a blast, and that was a blast.”

Dalton said after hearing the crash he immediately rushed to the truck to find out if the driver was alright. The bonnet of the truck was smashed off and left hanging from the cab following the crash.

“I went and tapped on the window and he was already on the phone to people. I offered to call the fire service but he said he already had.”

“He was quite coherent. He seemed less shaken than I did by it all,” Dalton said.

An Inglewood man at the scene said he heard the collision from his residence on Maire Street, approximately three blocks away from the crash site.

“I was just out laying my weedmat and heard what sounded like a shotgun. It was quite loud.”

Dozens of residents in the area watched on as emergency services assessed the crash scene and cleaned up the site.

Police briefly directed traffic at the intersection of State Highway 3 and Brookes Street.

Constable Rob Keen said police would be carrying out a thorough investigation into the crash.

Senior firefighter Peter Susans said the train had initially stopped about 500-metres down the line from the crash site, blocking traffic turning onto State Highway 3a, towards Hamilton.

“It has since been moved on to allow traffic to flow again.”

Susans confirmed the tanker was empty and the only fuel fluids that had leaked were from the its engine.

Staff from Pacific Fuel Haul Ltd were on scene and a spokesman said the company would be conducting its own investigation into the incident.

He said their first priority was to ensure the driver was okay.

The rail intersection had crossing signals but no barrier arms.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/69881526/train-and-fuel-tanker-crash-in-inglewood

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

I see they also have dumbarses in Australia who are too stupid to know what a STOP sign means....



from The Standard....

• Train crash near Pirron Yallock


from The Age....

• Truck driver fights for life after collision with train that left 18 others hurt