2023-05-12 19:32:00
A driver got stuck on the railway tracks at a level crossing in Bilzen, in the province of Limburg. Unable to move her vehicle, she was still inside when the train hit her head-on. The images of the collision are impressive. The driver eventually escaped with minor injuries.
It is around 3 p.m. on Thursday when a worker observes a dangerous scene. He is working on a road construction site in Bilzen and the level crossing has been blocked with barriers, precisely because of the work. However, a driver in her sixties approaches in her Mercedes. She stops her vehicle on the railway tracks and gets out to move the barriers placed following the traffic light. The bell rings, however, to signal the arrival of a train.
Challenged by the dangerous behavior of the lady, the worker takes out his phone to film the scene while explaining to the driver the danger she is running and the fine she risks receiving.
“This is going to cost you dearly. Do you find it normal to be here? You’ll get the bill, I promise“said the worker as the woman got back into her vehicle and tried to cross the level crossing.”Madam, it’s 500 euros fine for what you are doing there“, he adds.
For some unknown reason, the driver loses her means and can no longer move her Mercedes forward. “Come on, move on!“, the worker shouts to him as a train approaches. The collision that follows is violent.
We also say that all of this is avoidable.
We showed the video filmed by the worker to the spokesperson for Infrabel, the rail infrastructure manager. “These are terrifying images. We say to ourselves that it did not take long. That this lady who survived, she was only slightly injured according to the emergency services, but that she lost her life in this accident. We also say that all of this is avoidable. If a call is made to the emergency services quickly, maybe there is a way to stop the train before the collision“, reacts Frédéric Sacré.
For the Infrabel spokesperson, showing these images is useful. “In spite of everything, they serve the cause of safety, because they make people aware that you are no match for a train.“, specifies Frédéric Sacré.
More than two accidents per month
Collisions on level crossings are frequent: 32 accidents per year. That’s more than two every month. Eleven people lost their lives last year, despite awareness campaigns.
Crossing a red light in front of a railway line is the most serious traffic violation. It’s several hundred euros in fines and an appearance before the police court. This applies to motorists, but also to two-wheelers and pedestrians.
The prosecution opens an investigation
The Limburg public prosecutor’s office opened an investigation following the collision.
Work was in progress on the level crossing and nadar barriers had been set up to block access. The railway police made the usual findings while the prosecution opened an investigation. The person concerned will probably have to explain herself before the police court.
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