KEY POINTS:
A 16-year-old youth's car was written off after hitting a train at a level crossing south of Greymouth this morning.
A passenger in the car received a minor injury and the youth driving the car was unharmed.
The pair had just finished work at a local factory and were driving home when the collision happened at the crossing at Trickies Road at Rutherglen, 10km south of Greymouth. The crash took place about 6am.
Sergeant David Cross said both the train and the car were travelling at a low speed, the crossing had no bell and it was dark.
Given the speed the vehicles were travelling, the car had been dented, rather than smashed into a ball of twisted metal, he said.
"On the face of it, it doesn't look that bad, but when you've got something the weight of a train pushing into your car, it doesn't take much to bend the chassis out of alignment. It won't be repaired."
The youth has been referred to Youth Aid.
- NZPA
