Transporter crashes in freight train: driver seriously injured in Delmenhorst!

Transporter crashes in freight train: driver seriously injured in Delmenhorst!

On Wednesday evening there was a dramatic accident in Delmenhorst when a small van collided with a freight train at an untrained level crossing. The 28-year-old driver from Bremerhaven crossed the railway tracks around 7:15 p.m., although the red light of the signal system flashed. The violent impact hurled the van from the tracks, where it finally came away from the road. The fire brigade was quickly on hand and had to free the seriously injured driver from the demolished cabin, such as t-online.de reported.

The accident occurred while the freight train was around 30 km/h. Fortunately, the driver was unharmed and was able to initiate an emergency braking immediately. The van suffered total economic damage and was towed, while the property damage on the train did not affect the continuing of the freight car.

Investigations and possible causes

The police have investigated the cause of the accident. A possible reason for the overlooking of the red signal could have been the low -standing evening sun that blinded the driver. This suspicion is currently being examined, as is the fact that the driver does not have a valid driver's license and may be under the influence of narcotics. A blood sampling in the hospital was ordered, as was the Kreiszeitung

The accident not only has tragic consequences in person, but also led to considerable traffic disruptions. The freight train blocked two level crossings in the region, which made Annenheider Strasse, an important connecting road, for a long time. This uses comparable accidents in the past, as this occurred several times in Oldenburg.

safety measures at level crossings

The problem of unsecured level crossings has increasingly gained urgency in recent years. After a fatal accident in Hamburg, Deutsche Bahn plans to reduce the number of such transitions. In Germany, the number of level crossings has been greatly reduced since the 1990s-from 28,000 to only 15,820 in 2023. Safety is very popular, and more and more transfers are being carried out for traffic instead of intersections. These measures have already led to the fact that the number of accidents at level crossings could be reduced by over 75 %, such as n-tv.de.

It remains to be seen how the investigation into the incident will end in Delmenhorst and which teachings can be drawn from this clear example. The abnormality of accidents at level crossings should give every road user to think and sharpen eyes and ears to prevent such tragedies in the future.