Sömmerda (dpa/th) – A driver broke through a level crossing barrier on the B 85 in the Sömmerda district – just before an approaching train. “Lucky in disguise,” the Thuringian police called it on Friday. The 63-year-old was on his way from Kölleda to Großneuhausen on Thursday morning. According to his own statements, he was blinded by the low sun and therefore overlooked the closed railway barrier.
The engine driver of an approaching train saw the driver driving towards the level crossing without braking and therefore made emergency braking. According to the police, the 63-year-old drove just before the train across the tracks. He was unharmed. The estimated material damage to the car and barrier amounts to more than 12,000 euros. The police are now investigating the dangerous intervention in rail traffic.
