"Train Collision on level crossing, Newquay"

[Laryk]

From Devon and Cornwall Police

And the BBC

"A woman escaped uninjured after her car and a train collided at a level crossing near Newquay in Cornwall.

Police who were called to the crossing at Trencreek Road, Trencreek at 19:40 GMT said no-one was believed to have been injured.

The railway line is a local branch line and the collision involved a single carriage First Great Western train.

Driver Sarah Frampton said she had not seen the warning and was "lucky to be alive"."

 

[MidnightFlyer]

She missed the warning?

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=tre...=OhpO26F50st1p8ezfd-HSQ&cbp=12,136.29,,0,10.2

Doesn't look that hard to miss for me!

 

[YorkshireBear]

She missed the warning?

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=tre...=OhpO26F50st1p8ezfd-HSQ&cbp=12,136.29,,0,10.2

Doesn't look that hard to miss for me!

it was dark, big red flashing lights are hard to see in the dark.

 

[Laryk]

She was clearly distracted by something. Those lights are hard to miss, especially in the dark see above post

 

[Cliveblackpool]

Probably the most misused crossing in Cornwall.
As there are no barriers they have to beat the lights.:roll:
Luckily for them the train speeds are very low on the crossing.

 

[richw]

Probably the most misused crossing in Cornwall.
As there are no barriers they have to beat the lights.:roll:
Luckily for them the train speeds are very low on the crossing.

According to the woman who has incriminated herself in local media, with comments she has made that dig her hole quite deeply for driving without due care and attention, she said she didnt see the crossing, let alone the lights until a train travelling at speed struck her car!

 

[David Dunning]

From BBC News

A woman escaped uninjured after her car and a train collided at a level crossing near Newquay in Cornwall.

Police who were called to the crossing at Trencreek Road, Trencreek at 19:40 GMT said no-one was believed to have been injured.

The railway line is a local branch line and the collision involved a single carriage First Great Western train.

Driver Sarah Frampton of St Newlyn East said she had not seen the warning and was "lucky to be alive".

'Slammed on brakes'

She said: "I've been rushed off my feet all day and was not aware that there was a warning at the crossing.

"I don't often come down that road. I was travelling fairly slowly and out of the blue saw the train.

"I slammed on the brakes, but it was coming too fast and hit me. It was quite overwhelming how close I was. I am very thankful to be alive."

British Transport Police are investigating at the scene, where a tractor and train collided in 2003.

A police spokesman said: "There appears to be no persons injured and the scene has been secured awaiting the arrival of British Transport Police officers who will have primacy over the investigation."

 

[dk1]

''I had been rushed off my feet all day"!! Should she seriously be behind the wheel??

 

[jopsuk]

I'd be willing to be that she drives that road very regularly as well.

 

[GearJammer]

''I had been rushed off my feet all day"!! Should she seriously be behind the wheel??

I think you'll find there are probably millions of people everyday that are on Britains road that are rushed off there feet, hardly an excuse.

Im not sure what i find harder to believe, her stupidity at not seeing the signs/lights, or the fact she posed for a pic for the paper by her somewhat mangled car..... does the woman have no shame?

(of corse all this i assume is under the assumption that the ligts/crossing were all in working order)

 

[Schnellzug]

Again? This happens every couple of months on that line, it seems.

 

[richw]

BBC radio cornwall reported at 9 this morning the investigations by btp are completed and closed

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk

 

[Laryk]

BBC radio cornwall reported at 9 this morning the investigations by btp are completed and closed

Seems to indicate that everything was working. Simply human error on the car drivers part

 

[BestWestern]

Oh dear oh dear

I hope to god that I am never using a pedestrian crossing when this moron is about then. I'd like to think she'll get a hefty punishment for this, but the courts appear to think that causing rail accidents through incompetent driving is a perfectly acceptable pastime in this country at the moment :roll:

 

[Sheridan]

http://bicycling.com/blogs/roadrigh...Blog-_-driver-didn’t-see#.TxgxST5pafw.twitter

This is something I saw in the cycling context but it is amazing how many drivers think that being incompetent/negligent/tired is an adequate defence! And how willing they are to admit it.

 

[DavidBrown]

The quotes are somewhat telling into this woman's mindset on the road;

"The train was travelling too fast ..... The train hit me."

Erm, no love. You wern't looking at where you were going, and you hit the train.

There's an interview with her on the BBC News site here. She seems to come across as deeply Christian thanking God and Jesus several times for her still being alive (but not anybody on the train, of course). Prehaps she should look at herself a bit more than Jesus - unless it was God that made her a dopey cow, in which case I'm really pleased I'm Atheist.

 

[marks87]

Why on earth is the interviewer so softly-softly?

Why isn't he asking her why she thinks she isn't sitting in the back of a police car, arrested, at the very least, for driving without due care and attention?

 

[DarloRich]

how do you not see the warning? there are large RED flashing lights? you have to wonder!

 

[richw]

how do you not see the warning? there are large RED flashing lights? you have to wonder!

In the dark as well in this case, so you cant even blame being dazzled by the bright sun.

I struggled to see a completely different crossing light in bright sunlight this morning, Fortunately the barriers were down at this particular crossing so no risk as such.

 

[fairlie]

And surely driving down a road you don't know well is a reason to pay *more* attention...

 

[richw]

And surely driving down a road you don't know well is a reason to pay *more* attention...

definitely without a doubt. surely there are roadsigns warning you are approaching an ungated crossing?

 

[fairlie]

It would seem so...

 

[richw]

It would seem so...

that signs suggests to her she'll see a steam train though, probably was looking for steam above the hedges
This is my expectations based on her media comments of what she expected

 

[bnm]

Not only was there the necessary signage and the obligatory red flashing lights, but there are also rumble strips on the approach to the crossing.

 

[tsr]

that signs suggests to her she'll see a steam train though, probably was looking for steam above the hedges
This is my expectations based on her media comments of what she expected

In which case she needs to have a colour blindness test - heritage railways are usually signposted with brown signs. :roll:

I don't quite see how she missed that crossing. As others have mentioned, I rather think it is to do with how busy she was - doubtless paying less attention to the signage than she should have done...

 

[transmanche]

I don't quite see how she missed that crossing. As others have mentioned, I rather think it is to do with how busy she was - doubtless paying less attention to the signage than she should have done...

Does anyone know if BTP would routinely check the car driver's phone/phone records, to see if they'd been on a call or texting at the time?

 

[TDK]

Does anyone know if BTP would routinely check the car driver's phone/phone records, to see if they'd been on a call or texting at the time?

I wonder if she was tested for drugs and alcohol as usually in collisions the train drivers are even if the collision is no fault of the train drivers

 

[Donny Dave]

A few comments ....

She has admitted in the media that she "didn't see the crossing", so she's bang to rights on a driving without due care and attention charge. Other charges are possible, but possibly can not be proved beyond reasonable doubt.

Also, looking at that streetview image of the crossing in particular, it's not a road where you should be going that fast, so accordingly, the lights (or the glow from them) should have been visable for a while.

Does anyone know if BTP would routinely check the car driver's phone/phone records, to see if they'd been on a call or texting at the time?

Yes! It's a routine part of any RTC investigation if there is a mobile phone in the vehicle(s) involved.

I wonder if she was tested for drugs and alcohol as usually in collisions the train drivers are even if the collision is no fault of the train drivers

Not always, only if the policeman on the scene has suspicions that alcohol and/or drugs may be a factor.

Another thing that I've noticed ....

I was coming down the hill and out of the blue, I saw the train coming when out of the blue I saw the train coming. I slammed on the brakes but the train was coming too fast and hit me.

So the stupid bint had admitted her guilt, then tried to blame the big nasty railway for the accident she caused ....

 

[transmanche]

Yes! It's a routine part of any RTC investigation if there is a mobile phone in the vehicle(s) involved.

Cheers. I had hoped it was the case.

 

[anthony263]

''I had been rushed off my feet all day"!! Should she seriously be behind the wheel??

I must admit that thought came to me as well, too be honest If she can't pay attention when she is behind the wheel the courts should order her off the roads.

My opinion she saw the lights and thought she could get across the crossing before the train came of course that idea backfired. I wonder if we will see her now suing for damages (If she does maybe FGW should counter claim and send her the bill for repairing the class 153 and for the disruption caused)