NZ: 'Stressed' student collides with train

[John Ashworth]

'Stressed' student collides with train

By MARTY SHARPE - The Dominion Post
Last updated 05:00 19/11/2009

Worrying about an impending exam was enough to distract a Napier student from noticing an oncoming train.

Nineteen-year-old Jamie McIvor and her twin sister Laura were on their way to the Eastern Institute of Technology yesterday in Jamie's car when it was in collision with a train.

The train, which was travelling at walking pace, shunted the car 10 metres as it crossed the tracks at the Waghorne St crossing in Ahuriri, Napier, shortly after 8am.

Jamie is completing degrees in business and sport and recreation. She had to miss a two-hour anatomy and physiology exam which started at 9am.

"I just didn't see the train until it hit me. It came from my right and just dragged me along for a little bit. We were just thinking, 'Where did that come from?'

"I just don't know why I didn't see it. I was probably thinking about my exam."

She had been travelling about 25kmh as she approached the crossing.

Jamie and Laura, a Massey University student, were taken to Hawke's Bay Hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries before being discharged.

Jamie drove over the crossing most days and said a barrier arm should be put up to prevent similar accidents.

Her car, a 1990 Toyota Corolla, was insured and is now at a wrecking yard.

She was relieved that her tutors had told her she would not have to sit the exam and her marks would be internally assessed.

KiwiRail spokesman Kevin Ramshaw said the crossing's flashing lights and bells had been operating normally. The last collision there was in 1991.

Mr Ramshaw said there were 1400 public road level crossings in the country and only about half of them were protected by barrier arms or flashing lights and bells.

"There are consequently many communities pressing for upgrades. I would be surprised if the limited number of low-speed shunts using the line would give it a sufficiently high priority to qualify for an urgent upgrade to barrier arms."

Road users needed to respect stop signs at level crossings as they would on roads, he said.