KEY POINTS:
The fifth rail crossing victim within a month, a man who died when he was hit by a train in Taranaki on Friday has been identified by police.
Police have confirmed the 47-year-old man, whose name has not yet been released, was outside of his car and standing between it and the train at the time of the crash.
The crash happened on Conway Road, Eltham, about 8pm at a crossing unmarked by lights or bells.
The southbound train travelled between 200m and 300m from the point of impact but the train driver was uninjured.
The crash was the second fatal level crossing crash within a week and the third in a month.
Hawera police Sergeant Brent Roycroft said preliminary inquiries had established that a white 1987 Nissan Laurel owned by the dead man was driven on to the railway line and travelled a short distance along the tracks before the driver stopped and got out of the vehicle.
Palmerston North police serious crash unit investigator Constable Chris Pelosi examined the scene shortly after the crash.
"The car had been driven parallel to the tracks with the right side wheels between the rails before the driver stopped and alighted from his vehicle," Mr Pelosi said today.
"He was standing between the train and the car at the time of impact."
Mr Pelosi said the train's headlight was operating at the time, and the train's approach would have been visible to the victim.
Mr Roycroft said the crossing was near the end of a quiet residential road and not on a main arterial route.
"While there are no barrier arms or lights on this crossing, it is controlled by a compulsory stop for motor vehicles travelling along Conway Road," he said.
Police are seeking information about the movements of white Nissan in the area between 7pm and 7.40pm on Friday, and witnesses can phone Stratford police on 06 765 8860.
Last Saturday Renee and Brent Coombes, of Newlands, Wellington, were killed when their car was hit by a train at a crossing in Ohingaiti, Rangitikei. Their five-year-old daughter Reef survived the crash.
It is thought sun-strike may have been a factor.
In mid-June 20-year-old Keeley Jamieson and her brother Ryan, 22, died when their car collided with a train on a level crossing near Te Puke in the Bay of Plenty.
Rail Safety Week kicks off on Monday, with events promoting rail safety taking place across Australia and in New Zealand.
The key message in this country will be that tracks are for trains, and pedestrians and motorists need to take extreme care at crossings.
- NZPA
