Video footage has been released of the heart-stopping moment a truck is nearly collected by a freight train after it ignored a rail crossing.
Train crew on an Aurizon freight locomotive were spared a massive collision by split seconds in Western Australia’s Goldfields Esperance region last Saturday afternoon.
The video was released today to raise awareness of the common but deadly occurrence, reminding drivers to be vigilant when using regional rail crossings.
“We know there’s a number of contributing factors to level crossing incidents and collectively, we must step up efforts and investment to improve safety for our traincrew and for the general community,” Aurizon said in a Facebook post.
“This includes the rail and road industries, all levels of government, enforcement and road safety agencies, and the general community”
Aurizon said they have spoken with the trucking company and are “appreciative” that they spoke with the driver of the truck.
The incident comes after a series of collisions at freight crossings, including an incident on New Year’s Eve, when two Pacific National freight workers were killed in a collision with a truck in South Australia.
Aurizon is Australia’s largest rail freight operator. They move coal, iron ore, and agricultural freight across the country.
