Driver inches away from train crash

John Dimelow's car rolled into the path of a train. Photo / Linda Robertson

A motorist last night spoke of cheating death after his ute accidently rolled into the path of a 900-tonne goods train.

Supermarket owner John Dimelow, 51, escaped without a scratch after the train clipped his vehicle in Hampden, North Otago, at a level crossing.

Throughout the heart-stopping incident, he said he feared for the worst.

John Dimelow

"I'm very lucky to be alive," he said. "A friend told me that was eight of my nine lives used up."

Before the ,impact Dimelow said he had looked to the right for any oncoming trains.

"As I did that the vehicle must have moved a couple of inches forward and by the time I turned my head the train [coming from the left] was upon me and boomph it had clipped hold of the nudge bar and had taken me."

Dimelow's ute was dragged alongside the train.

"As other carriages came through a couple of them were a little bit wider and they clipped it and took the wing off and took the bonnet off. The front of the whole bumper, radiator, wings and bonnet just disintegrated.

"I tried to escape but the seatbelts are designed to hold you in so they locked up so I was basically pinned to the seat."

Dimelow said after his badly damaged ute came to a halt he managed to drive it away from the tracks, got out and started to collect debris from off the train track.

He was then met by the train driver.

"I think we were sort of in the same state. I think he was quite stunned and shocked."

He said he later learned his partner Corrine Martin had watched the accident unfold from their home.

The incident comes ahead of Rail Safety week which runs from August 10-16. The theme for this year is "Expect Trains".