A freight train has narrowly avoided a deadly catastrophe after a lorry careened over a level crossing, with the driver seemingly unaware he was seconds away from almost certain death.
Shocking footage from inside the freight train showed the B-double truck speeding along the tracks just before the 6,000-foot train approached the Goldfields Esperance region of Washington on Saturday.
The driver managed to avoid disaster when they hit the brakes after realizing the truck would not stop in time.
Their quick thinking prevented a ‘serious collision’, with the rear of the truck narrowly missing the front of the train.
Rail transport company Aurizon released the terrifying footage in the hope that the close call will help prevent deaths and increase the vigilance of road users at level crossings.
A train narrowly avoided disaster on Saturday when a truck (pictured) sped over a level crossing, with the driver seemingly unaware that he was seconds away from almost certain death
“Train crew at one of our depots in Western Australia have asked Aurizon to release this near-miss video footage to the community, taken from the front of a locomotive on Saturday afternoon in the Goldfields Esperance region,” a statement said.
‘Seconds separate our crew from a serious collision. Our operators hope the video will lead to motorists and heavy vehicle operators becoming aware of the need for vigilance when using these regional crossings.”
The rail operator added that the latest incident followed a series of near misses and collisions at level crossings for Australian freight rail companies.
This included the tragic incident on New Year’s Eve when two Pacific National industry colleagues were killed in a level crossing collision with a truck in South Australia.
Aurizon has since spoken to the transport company involved in the near miss.
“We are very grateful for their efforts to raise the incident with the driver and their employees in general. The more we can do, the better,” the company added.
Aurizon also acknowledged that many factors contributed to level crossing incidents.
“Collectively, we must increase efforts and investments to improve safety for our train crews and for the wider community.
‘This includes the rail and road industry, all levels of government, enforcement and road safety agencies and the general community.’
The freight train driver avoided disaster when they hit the brakes after seeing that the road train (pictured) would not stop
Dramatic footage of the terrifying close call has since gone viral online.
‘Truck driver must be held accountable! Nice fine and loss of driver’s license. People don’t understand how this kind of negligence can affect train crews,” said one viewer.
Another added: “Time for jail time for transport company officials for serious incidents together with the driver.”
A third wrote: ‘There are lights at that intersection. They should be charged for not stopping as directed.”