KEY POINTS:
A driver and her passenger escaped injury today after a car drove into a train on a level crossing in the Southland town of Gore.
The collision on the Hyde St crossing, which was controlled by warning lights and bells, happened about 2pm.
Sergeant Ken Anderson, of Gore police, said the crash was "about as minor as you could get with a car versus train".
The driver, a woman in her early 20s, and her female passenger escaped without injury, but were checked at the scene by ambulance officers.
Mr Anderson said the front bumper of the woman's car had been partially ripped off its mountings in the impact and the bonnet crumpled. The vehicle wasn't even swung around.
It appeared the woman had driven into the train which was moving slowly through the town.
Toll Rail spokeswoman Sue Foley said the train driver was "obviously shaken" by the incident.
"Until you get out of the cab, you never know what you're going to find," she said.
"All they know is that someone's driven a car into the train and of course they can't stop instantly, so they have no idea if anyone's been badly injured or killed."
She said getting out of the cab was "never a pleasant experience" for train drivers in crash situations.
The driver in this latest case had "clearly driven through flashing lights and bells" and Ms Foley urged drivers to retain their level of concentration around rail crossings.
"We're always really, really pleased when someone walks away, but these accidents can be avoided."
Former Black Caps test cricketer Chris Cairns is planning to walk from Auckland to Rolleston, south of Christchurch, next August to raise money for charity and rail safety awareness.
His sister, Louise, was killed in 1993 when a concrete truck hit the train she was travelling in near Rolleston.
- NZPA
