Article: Car bursts into flames after car crash

[Fares_Fair]

Article: Car bursts into flames after car crash
Ninemsn news online.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8366670/car-bursts-into-flames-after-train-crash

A car has erupted in flames, with two women trapped inside, after it was hit by a train at a level crossing in Melbourne's southeast.

Paramedics say it is amazing no one was killed after the train smashed into the car in Dandenong South on Friday morning.

Ambulance group manager Andrew Watson praised the efforts of a quick-thinking truck driver who grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the flames.

The two women were trapped in the car for more than 30 minutes and paramedics could initially only get to them through a window, Mr Watson said.

"It's a miracle they survived as the car is virtually unrecognisable, with debris strewn more than 100 metres along the track."

A woman in her 60s suffered a deep cut to her forehead as well as a possible fractured skull, and shoulder and hip injuries while a woman in her late 20s suffered minor injuries.

They have been taken to The Alfred hospital.

The train came to a stop 500 metres from the crash site.

The driver and 30 passengers had to be helped from the carriages using a ladder, but no one was injured.

[ozbob]

Level crossing, Dandenong south, on the Cranbourne line, Greens Road, well protected crossing. Doesn't idiot proof it however.

Four lanes, two lanes each way, centre island.  boom gates across both lanes on approach to crossing ....  two railway tracks, single line active, the old south gippsland branch is next to it, not used but protected as well.

Possible that they went down the wrong side of the road, or ignored lights and booms or crashed through booms, or car failed on crossing.

Reports indicate boom gates were operating and down.   Video shows boom gate broken, looks like they might drove through it?

[ozbob]

Train was travelling from the left to right.

[Golliwog]

The broken boom gate could also have been from the train throwing pat of the car into it after the impact.

[ozbob]

Of course, however police have said boom gates were down and operating normally.  Be interesting to find out what actually happened.

As I see three possibilities in view of the police been very clear about gates operating normally.

. They entered the crossing on the wrong road, collided with the train and got pushed along (and damaged the boom).

. They crashed through the boom gate, stopped and was struck by the train.

. The car failed on the actual crossing.  Gates came down, they were caught.

However the train driver did observe them move forward and commenced breaking before impact.