Man trapped on railway tracks just misses train

A man trapped in a mangled car which came to rest on railway tracks after a car smash in Blenheim yesterday was just 10 minutes away from being struck by an approaching passenger train.

The drama unfolded about 1pm when a Toyota Corolla crashed into the back of a four-wheel drive vehicle which had stopped on State Highway 1 to turn into Ross Lane.

The car spun off, crossing the southbound lane and smashing through the railway line barrier before coming to rest on railway tracks, Constable Paul Webber of Blenheim police said.

"His car was totalled," he said.

"The guy was trapped and the car was buggered and sitting on the lines."

Members of the public and emergency services informed rail authorities, who contacted a southbound passenger train about 10 minutes away from the crash site, Mr Webber said.

"If the train hadn't been stopped, I don't know if it could have stopped in time. Maybe not."

Firefighters took about 15 minutes to cut the man from the car, and another half hour to remove it from the tracks.

The 54-year-old driver suffered serious lacerations to his face, a severed carotid artery and chest injuries.

He was taken to Blenheim's Wairau Hospital where he is in a serious but stable condition.

The driver of the four-wheel drive vehicle was fine.

Police were investigating.

- NZPA