A Good Samaritan feared a major disaster was imminent when he came across a flipped car, and knew a train was on its way.
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Motorcross field inspector John Langfield and colleague Peter Mowat were returning home from an inspection in Wagga when they came across a vehicle accident on a railway crossing outside Junee.
“I thought the woman was dead. (The woman driver and male occupant) were hanging upside down by their seat-belts and both were bleeding from the face,”
“We’d passed a freight train five minutes earlier which was heading towards the crossing. I thought this was going to be a major fatality if the train hits,” Mr Langfield said.
Both samaritans had vast experience in attending accidents at motorcycle race meetings, and they quickly moved to release the couple from the car which had its lights on and was leaking fluid.
“We thought the car would catch alight and we knew the train was coming so we had to get them out quickly,” Mr Langfield said.
The couple were pulled from the wreckage and the BMW had a radio system which the men used to call emergency services and warn the oncoming train.
Four fire units responded form Junee, Bethungra and Frampton, along with police, ambulance, ARTC and Fire and Rescue.
The 33 year-old female driver and her 34 year-old passenger had been driving back to Melbourne from Queensland and its understood the car was set to 100km/h cruise control when it tried to negotiate the 30km/h bend. Considering the crash, the couple had an almost miraculous escape.
The woman sustained a small burn to her hand and the male a small cut to his mouth; and couple had non-life-threatening injuries.
It’s the latest accident at a known black spot for car accidents, blamed mainly on the 90-degree turn onto the crossing. A similar accident in 2011 claimed the life of a 52 year-old man.
"There have been numerous incidents at this cross over the years," Inspector Tom McDevitt - Junee Rural Fire Service.
Mr Langfield said emergency crews were quickly on the scene and says its a miracle they survived.
“It was sheer luck that the car impacted the post sideways in the area of the engine rather than the cabin area,” Mr Langfield said.