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Tractor driver seriously injured after freight train collision in Celle!
Serious accident between tractor and freight train in Beckedorf: 21-year-old driver injured, police are investigating the cause.
Tractor driver seriously injured after freight train collision in Celle!
A serious traffic accident in the Celle district is keeping the rescue workers busy. On the afternoon of June 18th, there was a serious collision between a tractor and a freight train at an unbarred railway crossing in Beckedorf. The 21-year-old tractor driver was seriously injured in the collision. Despite an immediate emergency braking of the train, the attentive locomotive driver was unable to prevent the collision because the driver simply overlooked the train. The force of the impact threw the woman from her vehicle.
The Beckedorf fire department was quickly on the scene to secure the scene of the accident and clean up any spilled operating materials. The tractor, which lay in the ditch next to the tracks after the collision, was rescued using a crane. Meanwhile, the police are investigating to clarify the exact circumstances of the accident. These tragic incidents highlight the dangers that exist at unguarded level crossings.
Level crossing risk factor
The problem of unsecured level crossings has been known in Germany for years. According to the research information system, there were a total of 13,624 level crossings in the Deutsche Bahn AG network in 2022. These crossings are usually secured with a St. Andrew's cross, which gives priority to rail vehicles. It should be noted that rail vehicles cannot swerve and have long braking distances. Over 70% of these crossings in Germany are technically secured, with a proportion of over 30% being non-technically secured and only functioning through visual inspection.
A look at Austria shows that similar risks exist there too. On the same day as the accident in Beckedorf, another serious incident occurred in Styria. A trucker missed a red light at an unguarded railway crossing and was hit by a local train. A total of 16 people were injured, three of them seriously. Such events make it clear that unrestricted crossings continue to pose a significant risk to road users.Topic on TAG24
Security measures and future developments
Accordingly, the federal government plans to minimize these dangers by installing barriers. In the Styria accident mentioned, the accident was particularly tragic, as numerous accidents had already occurred at this level crossing. Measures to improve security have been announced for November.
Deutsche Bahn invests around 170 million euros annually in securing level crossings, with the federal government and road construction authorities also providing additional financial resources. However, the number of accidents at level intersections has consistently fallen in recent years, indicating a positive trend. At the same time, dealing with level crossings remains a challenge, especially since many accidents are caused by the misconduct of road users.
In view of the current accidents, it is more important than ever to raise awareness of the dangers at unguarded level crossings and to implement preventive measures more effectively. The fates of the drivers involved in accidents and the rescue workers affected remind us not to relax when it comes to road safety.