Driver of crashed rail unit fined $600

Press, 15 June 1979, Page 3

Driver of crashed rail unit fined $600

PA Wellington A collision between a Railways unit and goods train, in which two persons were injured, was the result of ! ‘a momentary lapse of attention,” said Mr M. F. Hobbs, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court at Wellington yesterday. Bruce Gray, aged 51, a Railways unit driver, sentenced on a charge of injuring persons under circumstances that if death had occurred, he would have been guilty of manslaughter, was fined $6OO, Counsel, Mr G. Mackay, said Gray had previously pleaded guilty to the charge because he had failed to perform the duty imposed upon him and had injured two

persons as a result of that omission.

Gray had been a driver for 19 of the 36 years he had worked for the Railways, and had not previously been in an accident, At 8.55 pm. on November 4, 1978, the unit Gray was driving was travelling south, toward Kaiwharawhara. He had been working for the 13 days preceding the 1 accident, and had worked 60 hours the week before.

When he saw a red light he put the unit into neutral and coasted towards the signal, where he intended to stop. He was momentarily distracted, and realised too late that he had passed through the red light. Mr Mackay said the unit was travelling about 20km/h,

Gray applied the emergency brakes but when he saw the accident was inevitable, went back to the passengers and tried to protect them by yelling, “Get down/* The accident was not deliberate, nor grossly negligent, counsel said. This was Gray’s first offence. He had an impeccable record as a citizen and a Railways employee. The two persons hurt suffered minor injuries, the worst being a cut requiring 11 stitches.

Ths Magistrate said: “The consequences of that momentary lapse of attention were very much greater than ons might have anticipated.”