Three investigations under way into train fatality near Kawerau

Police serious crash investigator Mike Chelley and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission's Chris Asbery record a train passing through the level crossing.

Three investigations are being run into the death of a Whakatane man killed when the truck he was driving was hit by a train.

Wayne Faga died last Friday after the Waste Management truck he was driving was hit at a level crossing on Lambert Rd near Kawerau.

Yesterday investigators from the police serious crash unit, KiwiRail and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) were on site.

TAIC investigator in charge Peter Miskell said his role was to see if any measures could be taken to see it didn't happen again.

"What we do is investigate level crossing accidents involving a heavy motor vehicle, and where there has been a fatality, because there is a potential to derail a train," Mr Miskell said. "We are right in the early stages of this investigation and, at this point, evidence gathering.

"Our site works will include checking view lines, talking with the driver of the train, reviewing the evidence the serious crash unit has collected, reviewing the download data from the train's event recorder, similarly the truck has an e-road logging system which records its GPS location.

"We'll use all of that as well as information from local people. There's a lot to gather - we're here for a couple of days - but collecting the evidence goes on for some time.

"Once we have everything compiled we go through a really detailed analysis process then identify finding and recommendations."

Police Serious Crash Investigator Mike Chelley, KiwiRail Zero Harm Senior Assessor John Moore and Transport Accident Investigation Commission's Chris Asbery at the scene.

Mr Miskell said he understood KiwRail and rail operators had a national data base of priorities for improvements to crossings.

"Unfortunately when an accident occurs at a crossing it might raise that crossing on the priority list."

He said the investigation was not a short process and on average took up to a year before the report would be made public.

Mr Faga's death was the second of two Eastern Bay fatalities involving a train in just over three months. Bay of Plenty Regional Council engineer Arch Delahunty was killed on July 5 when the work vehicle he was driving was hit by a train at Otamarakau near Matata.