A serious incident was narrowly averted on Thursday morning at a train crossing in the area of Shefayim, near the coast in central Israel, after a vehicle got stuck between the tracks and the security gate as a train quickly approached.
The vehicle avoided getting smashed by the train at the last minute when a crossings inspector of the Israel Railways safety division noticed the situation and reported it to railway command and the safety center, which in turn alerted the train driver and activated emergency electronic systems.
A communications technician from the infrastructure division of Israel Railways then ran out and lifted the gate manually, thereby allowing the vehicle to back up and preventing disaster.
An initial investigation carried out by railway workers found that the driver of the vehicle was apparently distracted by his cell phone, and thus didn’t notice the blinking lights and ringing sounds signalling the approach of a train. In the meantime, the train gate had come down over the road, preventing the vehicle from moving in reverse to avoid the oncoming train.
Due to the incident, train traffic is experiencing delays in the area.
Israel Railways said following the incident, “Israel Railways reminds the driving public and users of roads to drive with extra caution and safety near train tracks, and keep the law at train crossings on roads. These are dangerous areas which require special caution and attention.”