“I can’t believe that man got out of his car unharmed”: Car drives over a closed level crossing and is hit by a train (Mechelen)

The accident took place at the railway crossing on the Kapelseweg in Hombeek, near the border with Leest, shortly before 10 am on Friday morning. A cycling tourist who had stopped because the red lights of the level crossing were in operation and the barriers were lowered saw it all happen. “Suddenly a car drove from Aland, a street that runs parallel to the railway crossing. Even though the barrier was already down, the man continued driving his car. A second later his car was hit by a train. The blow was enormous. The car was thrown a few meters away and the train made an emergency stop a little further away,” the man testified. “I feared the worst for the driver, because the blow was quite heavy. But suddenly the car door opened and the driver simply got out. Miraculously, he was unhurt.”

“How could this have happened? Perhaps the man did not see the red lights on – there was a low sun – and the railway is equipped with a half barrier. And therefore he may not have noticed that the crossing was closed. I am especially relieved that the man escaped unscathed.”

The fire brigade, ambulance, local police zone Rivierenland and the railway police arrived on the scene. “Exactly how the accident could have happened will now be further investigated,” police spokesman Dirk Van de Sande said.

“Although the barrier was already down, the man continued driving his car. A second later his car was hit by a train. The blow was enormous”

Passing cycling tourist

Travelers

Due to the collision, the railway crossing was closed for a while and train traffic between Mechelen and Willebroek also came to a standstill. “There were about thirty passengers on the train in question. Fortunately, they were all unharmed. After a while, they were able to leave the train carriages and transfer to a bus that took them to the next station,” explains Frédéric Petit of railway manager Infrabel. “The initial findings show that the signaling of the level crossing worked well. We continue to emphasize that you should always be careful when approaching a railway crossing. As soon as the bell and red lights come into effect, you as a road user must always stop. That is important and that is why we are paying attention to it on Saturday of all days Watch out on the VRT.”

Half barriers

“That driver has a guardian angel and the damage was limited to his car,” a local resident continues. “I must honestly say that visibility is not always clear when the sun is low, especially if you come from Aland. I have also experienced it myself that I did not notice that the red lights were on and the barriers – these are half barriers – were down. If you come from Aland it seems as if the railway crossing is open, even though that is not the case. And a few moments later a train passed behind me.”

“I have experienced it myself that I did not notice that the red lights were on and half the barriers were down. If you come from Aland it seems as if the railway crossing is open, even though that is not the case”

Local resident

Technicians checked the rail infrastructure, which appeared to be intact despite the collision. The train would also have suffered little or no damage. From 12.45 pm, train traffic was possible again between Willebroek and Mechelen. “There were still some delays due to the incident, but train traffic completely normalized during the afternoon.”