Miracle man dodges train
Published: June 5, 2006
A MAN amazingly cheated death yesterday when a freight train plunged off the tracks at 100km/h and ploughed into his car.
Brett Andrews was sitting in his ute just metres from the track, talking on a mobile phone, when he looked up to see the train hurtling towards him.
“I said, ‘Oh my God. The train’s come off. It looks like I’m going to die,” he said. “I’m very lucky to be alive.”
The 44-year-old father of two was about to start work at Benalla railway station just after 6.30am when the 706-metre-long train derailed after switching tracks.
Police said it was a miracle no one was killed by the Brisbane-bound engine, which was hauling 19 containers of goods, including steel.
Two train drivers also escaped without injury.
Mr Andrews’ co-worker, Bob, was in another ute parked farther down the track. It was untouched.
“I saw him jump out of his and run, but I had no time to do anything,” Mr Andrews said. “Carriages were going everywhere.
“Luckily, it just slowed right down, and when it got to me it ended up just giving me a nudge a few metres, and that was it.”
The Queensland Rail train smashed into a disused Victorian Railways Institute hall, wrecking a corner of the building.
“They were planning to demolish it anyway, and what happened today has done a pretty good job of that,” Mr Andrews said.
Acting Insp Ralph Willingham said it was a miracle there were no deaths. “Considering the amount of damage and the speed involved, police are amazed that no one was injured,” he said.
Despite his close shave, Mr Andrews said he would remain at the station where he has worked for 20 years.
“Got to keep earning money,” he said.
“But I think I’ll buy a Tattslotto ticket and have a few beers tonight.”
The crash did not affect passenger services between Melbourne and Sydney; V/Line operated on another track.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau will investigate.
Last week, a truck driver was killed when his truck piled into an Adelaide-Melbourne goods train near Lismore.
And on April 28, a V/Line passenger sprint train struck a semi-trailer at Trawalla, on the Ararat-Ballarat line.
Two passengers, including the mother of the train driver, were killed and more than 30 others were injured.
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