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](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/777R4DSUXFIAWBH7JN3IDDJF6A.jpg?auth=bd4ceb3e0132a00a1d2017abc6d533d1e7084abcc9f1343dc8e470412d3bb0c9&width=16&height=23&quality=70&smart=true)
"I'm very lucky to be alive," he said. "A friend told me that was eight of my nine lives used up."