Car passenger suffers life-changing injuries after SatNav directions causes collision with oncoming train

An occupant of a car that was diverted down small country roads by a Satnav system after missing a turn suffered life-altering injuries after the vehicle collided with a train at an unmanned level crossing in Co Mayo last year.

Details of the near-fatal incident at the level crossing located between Ballyhaunis and Claremorris are revealed in a new report by the Railway Accident Investigation Unit.

Railway investigators concluded the main factors causing the collision was the failure of the previous user to close the gates and the lack of familiarity of the motorist with unmanned level crossings, as well as his failure to react to advance warning signs and to stop to check for approaching trains.

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The incident occurred as a Heuston-Westport passenger train with 190 passengers on board approached a location known as Prendergast’s Level Crossing at around 3.15pm on September 9, 2023. The RAIU report reveals that the train driver had sounded the horn on its approach to the level crossing while the train was travelling at 110km/h.

It revealed that the driver, who lives in Galway, had taken a wrong turn in Claremorris on the way to Longford and was using a Satnav system which had diverted him onto unfamiliar local roads. It was also the first time ever that the 20-year-old driver, who held a full driving licence, had used such a crossing.

The train driver sounded the horn a second time after seeing the car was travelling “a bit fast” as it was heading towards the crossing. The driver applied the train’s emergency brake once he realised the vehicle was not going to stop.

According to the train driver, the car “slowed to the point that it came to a standstill on the line directly in front of the train”, which left insufficient time to avoid a collision. It was propelled 31 metres into an adjacent field where it landed on the passenger side, while the train came to a halt around 310 metres past the level crossing.

The driver and the other male occupant of the Skoda Octavia were airlifted to University Hospital Galway after being treated at the scene by a doctor, nurse and two rapid responders who had been on the train. The passenger suffered life-changing injuries and requires ongoing medical intervention and therapies, while the driver sustained a broken ankle.

The RAIU said a coupler at the front of the train had been in an extended position, which may have contributed to the extent of the damage to the car and the injuries to its occupants. The vehicle suffered “massive” damage on the passenger’s side, which bore the brunt of the impact with the train.

The RAIU also concluded that the signage on approach roads did not portray clear meaning that road users were approaching an unmanned level crossing or alert them of the severity of not adhering to the warning by a possible collision with a train.

The report revealed that a “decision support system”, which provides information for users about the approach of trains, had been installed at the crossing but had not been commissioned as a result of difficulty in getting electricity to the location due to issues with a local landowner.

The RAIU recommended that the Department of Transport should continue with a trial at a number of unmanned level crossings, including the accident location on a new warning sign depicting a train striking a car to highlight the approaching hazard.

It noted that Iarnród Éireann has also taken a number of actions as a result of the accident, including the painting of the gates and roads at the level crossing, which is used by an average of 50 vehicles daily. The report revealed that there were two previous “near miss” incidents at the same level crossing in August 2019 and June 2022, where train drivers had to apply emergency brakes.

The RAIU said there was also another near miss at Prendergast’s Level Crossing on February 26 this year when a silver jeep drove through the junction at speed. The RAIU said it had also contacted Google about possible warnings about the location on Google Maps.

The report revealed that the line was closed for over five hours and resulted in delays to four passenger trains, while the cost of bus and taxi hire for the onward journeys of train passengers as a result of the accident totalled €8,073. Overall, the accident was calculated as costing Iarnród Éireann just over €271,000.

The report noted that there are still 42 unmanned level crossings of the type at the location of the collision on the rail network. Iarnród Éireann has estimated that it could cost up to €6 million to close them.

Prendergast’s Level Crossing is ranked as having a “high” level of abuse due to gates being left open but a “tolerable” risk. Track patrolling records show the gates were open approximately 46 per cent of the time.

The RAIU said Iarnród Éireann staff had reported 242 instances of level crossing gates being left open in the 12 months before the collision, although none related to the location of the incident. It said its latest report was the tenth investigation into collisions between trains and road vehicles since its establishment in 2007.

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