ESCAPE AT CROSSING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21245, 27 July 1932, Page 10

ESCAPE AT CROSSING

TRAIN WRECKS A LORRY TWO MEN JUMP CLEAR VEHICLE TORN IN HALVES RAILWAY ENGINE DAMAGED [BY TELEGHAPII OWN COWIESrONPENT] NEW PLYMOUTH. Tuesday Two men had a remarkable escape when a lorry they were driving was struck by a goods train at the Smart Road level crossing tins morning, the lorry bc.ng completely wrecked and being reduced to a mass of tangled iron anil woodwork. The men scrambled from the vehicle just as the engine hit it, and escaped uninjured. The lorry was owned by the Taranaki County Council. With Mr. Norman Bcrnstsen driving and Mr. George Davison also in the cab it had a load of coal. The lorry was travelling at a low speed, and when the men got on to the railway crossing they saw a train almost on top of them. Realising that they had no time to get across the lines both jumped clear as the engine crashed into the lony. The train carried the lorry about 25 yards along the line, turning it over and completely wrecking it. The cattle slop offered little resistance and this was smashed to matchwood, pieces being strewn along the track. The lorry was practically torn in two. The front part was turned over and the wheels were in mid-air. The rear part was shorn of all support and lay on an angle at the side of the lines. The back wheels with the axle twisted were a separate unit and were not connected with the vehicle. The cab was smashed in like a concertina, and had the men not had the presence of mind to jump clear they would have met certain death. The train did not escape damage. The engine cylinder was broken and it was necessary to get another engine before the journey was continued. The enginedriver stated that he saw the lorry and applied the brakes in order to give the vehicle time to get across. Then when he saw the lorry was not'moving he applied the emergency brake, but too late to avoid the collision.