Close call at level crossing

Press, 9 April 1980, Page 6

Close call at level crossing

“It did curl my hair a bit.” That was how an Ashburton man felt after he. and his wife were almost shunted to a gory death on the Chertsey Railway crossing on Monday.

•Mr Bill Henderson and his wife, Kathleen, were waiting at the crossing for a’“goods train to pass when a car driven by an elderly Ashburton woman collided with the rear of thjeir Volkswagen car.

AVith the oncoming locoiiiotive less than 50m. a\yay, the car rolled slow* ly« forward on to the' tracks. • v

?T would not like to go through it again — seeing ttiat train getting closer aifd closer,” said Mr Henderson, of 15 Kelvin Crescent, Ashburton.

However, the Volkswagen rolled just far enough. “By the time I got my wife out the brake boxes on the waggons were clipping the back bumper,” said Mr Henderson.

The car was declared a write-off after the accident.

“The engine was badly damaged so I couldn’t start it to get out of the way. Thank. heavens I didin’t have the handbrake on, or we<would have stopped in the middle of the tracks,” he said. The Hendersons, both aged in their fifties, were shaken but.;titihurt?’ . ■

The elderly woman driver had , been “pretty upset” aboiit the, incident, but had also . 'escaped injury, said a ■ Ministry of Transport spokesman.