A collision between a delivery van and a train in the town of Yarragon has resulted in the injury of a man involved in the crash.
Emergency services promptly responded to the incident at the intersection of Princes Hwy and Rollo St in Yarragon on Tuesday morning at 8:20 am.
The collision occurred at a railway crossing when a V/Line train collided with a white delivery van, causing the van’s side door to be torn off and parcels to scatter across the road.
Witness Karl Pesendorfer described the scene, stating, “It was like a bomb went off in the car. If there were any pedestrians within 15 to 20 meters of that accident, they would have been hit by debris or even killed. I see this individual basically trying to play chicken with the train, attempting to cross the railway. I feel sorry for these train drivers… especially due to someone’s stupidity.”
Another witness, Sandy Lumber, revealed that people tried to warn the driver before the accident occurred. “They were all beeping their horns at him, as well as the train, which had its horn on for approximately 20 seconds beforehand,” Lumber said.
Fortunately, the van driver sustained only minor injuries and was transported to the hospital in stable condition. Lumber commented, “He had a cut on his hand, but that was it. He was in shock. More than anything, he was worried about his work… he even asked if he could call his boss, poor guy.”
Aerial images captured significant damage to the van, highlighting the impact of the collision.
Victoria Police Sergeant Andy Milbourne noted that the train was traveling at speed when the incident occurred. “The train would have been traveling possibly at 90 to 100 km/h with approximately 100 people on board heading to the football,” Milbourne explained. “In this case, it’s fortunate that the driver wasn’t killed.”
The train, carrying around 100 passengers en route to Southern Cross station, was unharmed, and no injuries were reported among the passengers. Buses were arranged for the passengers to continue their journey while the police attended the scene.
Detectives are currently investigating the cause of the crash and are urging anyone with information to come forward and assist with their inquiries.