An elderly man who was hit and killed by a train in Mount Maunganui yesterday is believed to have not heard the slow-moving engine approaching because of strong winds and the noise of nearby traffic.
Police have identified the man as an 85-year-old local, whose name was not available today, as all family members had yet to be notified of his death. He was killed instantly as he attempted to cross from Maunganui Rd towards Omanu Golf Club course.
Senior Sergeant Rob Glencross of Tauranga CIB said the man frequently took the same path from his nearby home.
Four people made separate calls to 111 from 12.41pm after they witnessed the man step into the path of a train on a straight section of railway track opposite the Maunganui Rd and Concord Ave intersection.
Sergeant Steve Hindmarsh said it appeared the man had not seen the train as he stepped into its path.
He said the loud noise from heavy traffic on Maunganui Rd, and the low rumble noise of the engine travelling at a low speed, combined with strong winds that were "blowing the wrong way", could have all contributed to man's unawareness.
The train was heading south-east towards Te Puke without carriages. The man's body was dragged a number of metres after impact. Victim Support and the train company's manager tended to the train driver, who had managed to stop the train about 30 metres from where the man was hit.
A replacement driver took the train to a nearby yard. Four people witnessed the collision, including a husband and wife in a vehicle who had pulled off Maunganui Rd to stop in a parking bay next to the railway track.
Two cars travelling along Maunganui Rd past the scene were involved in a minor collision when one car struck the rear of the vehicle in front.
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