NEW DELHI: A car broke through a railway crossing barrier near Lajpat Nagar on Tuesday evening and rammed a goods train, derailing its last two wagons. The driver of the car, who sustained serious injuries, is being treated at AIIMS Trauma Centre, said a railway official.
The man has been identified as Mohan Lal, a 50-year-old who works as a driver for a Kalkaji resident. He reportedly lost control of the vehicle and could not apply the brakes before the barrier and collided with wagon number 41 of the moving 42-coach train, the official said. Both wagon numbers 41 and 42 got derailed. Around 4.20pm, the goods train was crossing the Lajpat Nagar railway intersection. The crossing barrier was down on both sides and 40 wagons had already crossed the intersection when the Honda Amaze car broke through the barrier.
“The car came with such a force that nothing could be done. The man was trapped in the vehicle and emergency services were called in to rescue him,” said the official.
“The owner of the vehicle might have left on foot and Lal was left with the vehicle. We don’t know yet how he lost control of the vehicle,” said a senior Railway Protection Force official.
According to an eyewitness, the driver was on the phone and was reversing the car when he lost control. “He could not apply the brakes and broke through the crossing barrier while reversing the car. He was stuck in the vehicle for several minutes before he could be pulled out,” the eyewitness said.
S C Jain, divisional railway manager of Delhi division who oversaw the rescue operation, said the fire brigade was also called in as the man had to be pulled out of his car using gas cutters.
“He had suffered tremendous shock. Within minutes of the incident, he was pulled out of the vehicle, which was badly damaged. He was taken to AIIMS in an ambulance and the track repair work began soon,” said Jain, adding that debris from the incident was lying near the tracks till 8pm.