Serious injuries sustained in collision between train and car in Mayo
Life-altering injuries were sustained in the crash.
A car collided with a train in Mayo after the driver was diverted down small country roads by a Satnav system after missing a turn.
Details of the serious accident at the unmanned level crossing located between Ballyhaunis and Claremorris were revealed in a report by the Railway Accident Investigation Unit.
The incident occurred as a Heuston-Westport passenger train with 190 passengers on board approached a location known as Prendergast’s Level Crossing at around 3.15pm on September 9 2023.
The report details that the train driver had sounded the horn on its approach to the level crossing while the train was travelling at 110km/h.
The car was propelled 31 metres into an adjacent field where it landed on the passenger side, while the train came to a halt around 310 metres past the level crossing.
The driver and the other male occupant of the vehicle were airlifted to University Hospital Galway after being treated at the scene by a doctor, nurse and two rapid responders who had been on the train.
The passenger suffered life-changing injuries and requires ongoing medical intervention and therapies, while the driver of the sustained a broken ankle.
Railway investigators concluded the main factors causing the collision was the failure of the previous user to close the gates and the lack of familiarity of the motorist with unmanned level crossings as well as his failure to react to advance warning signs and to stop to check for approaching trains.
The report revealed that there were two previous “near miss” incidents at the same level crossing in August 2019 and June 2022.
The RAIU found that the signage on approach roads did not portray clear meaning that road users were approaching an unmanned level crossing
The report revealed that a “decision support system” which provides information for users about the approach of trains had been installed at the crossing but had not been commissioned as a result of difficulty in getting electricity to the location due to issues with a local landowner.
