A baby whose stroller crashed into a train carriage was just three seconds away from a head-on collision, a report has found.
The miraculous escape was captured on CCTV at Banbury train station in June, when a buggy carrying the three-month-old child rolled towards the tracks and hit the Cross Country train.
The impact sent the buggy flying off the platform before it fell over, with someone quickly pulling the young child out to safety.
The youngster suffered ‘minor head injuries’, but if the accident had occurred three seconds earlier the pram would have collided head-on with the train, a report from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has found.
RAIB added that it was “unable to determine” how the baby’s mother let go of the stroller, which had no brakes on at the time.
This is the moment a buggy carrying a three-month-old child came terrifyingly close to a train. A report found that the child was just three seconds away from a head-on collision
CCTV footage captured the near miss at Banbury train station in June when a buggy carrying a three-month-old child rolled towards the tracks and hit the Cross Country train
The report said the stroller was “temporarily released by the child’s parent” before rolling down the platform ramp as the train pulled into the station.
It added: ‘About 15 seconds before the accident, the child’s parent began to move the pram closer to the edge of the platform, intending to board the train.
‘The pram was moved perpendicular to the platform edge and approximately ten seconds before the accident the front wheels touched the yellow line while the parent held the pram handle with both hands.
“The child’s parent then leaned away from the stroller, placed a hand on the wheeled luggage and turned to the family member, momentarily letting go of the stroller.”
‘About six seconds before the accident, with the parent still facing away from the stroller, the stroller began moving towards the platform edge.
Crucially, the report stated that approximately three seconds before the parm collided with the carriage, ‘the front of the train passed the position where the pram was located’.
This means that if the stroller had been on the track three seconds earlier, it would have fallen onto the track in front of the train.
The images show the train approaching platform 2, where a number of passengers are waiting to board
The blue stroller is seen slowly rolling towards the tracks as the train approaches, causing a woman to run out and try to grab it
The front of the stroller hits the third carriage of the moving train, causing it to fly on its side across the platform
Camera images show the train approaching platform 2 at the same time A blue stroller is seen rolling slowly towards the tracks as the train approaches, causing a woman to run out and try to grab it.
The front of the stroller hits the third carriage of the moving train, causing it to fly on its side across the platform. He avoids falling onto the rails, much to the relief of the shocked spectators.
A CrossCountry spokesperson said: ‘Our thoughts are with the mother and baby involved in the incident in Banbury last week, and reviews with industry partners have shown that CrossCountry colleagues followed all relevant operational and safety rules.
“This distressing incident is a reminder that people must be vigilant and safe at all times when near the railway line.”
The incident happened just months after train bosses warned the public not to take risks near railway lines.