TRAIN NEARLY KILLED ME
VicTrack claims no-one near crossing as warnings fail but driver tells of horror near-miss:
A WOMAN came within seconds of being struck and killed by a train after a boom gate failure in North Geelong earlier this month.
Corio’s Caroline Bull (pictured) said she was forced to slam her brakes on as the freight train roared through the Thompson Rd level crossing.
A WOMAN came within seconds of being struck and killed by a train after a boom gate failure in North Geelong earlier this month.
Corio’s Caroline Bull said she was forced to slam her brakes on as the freight train careered through a level crossing on Thompson Rd on January 8.
Her version of events contradicts the State Government’s initial claim that no vehicles were in the vicinity at the time of the incident.
Mrs Bull said she was driving home during a work lunch break about 11am on the day of the incident, when the train sped through the crossing without warning.
“I just saw in the corner of my eye a train coming. If I didn’t jump on the brakes as hard as I did, the train would have cleaned me up,” she said.
“I was over the line, so if I kept going or if I was two seconds earlier, it would’ve got me, for sure.
“The train would’ve cleaned my car up and me along with it. I was probably one metre away from the train. It was just so close.
“I immediately called my husband to say, ‘Oh my God, I nearly just died’.”
Mrs Bull said she later reported the incident to Public Transport Victoria, adding that she was “p----d off” and “angry” to hear authorities claim no one came close to being injured.
A spokeswoman for VicTrack, which manages the infrastructure, yesterday confirmed the boom gate failure happened at 10.53am.
However, she declined to provide further information due to the ongoing investigation by safety authorities.
As revealed by the Geelong Advertiser yesterday, the fault related to a $5.1 million upgrade of the North Geelong ‘C’ signal box. VicTrack is currently upgrading the freight rail connection between the main Geelong and Melbourne line to the Port of Geelong.
In the wake of the incident, attendants have been stationed at three crossings in the area as an additional safety precaution.
But Mrs Bull, who works at a service station on Thompson Rd, said she was now fearful of using the level crossing.
“I feel awful driving over it now — sick,” she said.
“I actually slow right down and double check both ways now, just to be sure.”
She is also demanding answers from authorities over the incident.
“Where’s the safety in it? I want to know why they were faulty to begin with, to be honest,” Mrs Bull said. “Why didn’t it come down? I’d never think to actually look for a train; I always rely on those boom gates.”