Train crash victim was visiting sister's grave

Mr Roxburgh watched his wife get cut out of the mangled wreck. Photo / Thinkstock

The motorist who had a miraculous escape when her vehicle collided with a train had just visited her sister's grave.

Caroll Roxburgh, 45, had surgery in Christchurch Hospital yesterday for a broken ankle - the only injury after her car was written off in the collision on the corner of Fraser's Rd and State Highway 1, Dunsandel, about 2.15pm on Monday.

Her husband, Darryl Roxburgh, 47, told The Star: "She'd just been at her sister's grave because it's two years since she died of cancer."

Mr Roxburgh arrived at the scene 15 minutes after the crash, alerted by an odd phone call from his wife's niece.

The niece had a "funny feeling" something was wrong, so Mr Roxburgh decided to go out and look for his wife. They live in the Dundsandel area.

"She asked where Caroll was ... I think she just had one of those funny feelings."

As Mr Roxburgh watched his wife get cut out of the mangled wreck, he went into shock.

There wasn't much going through his head, "just a lot of confusing emotions".

"She's been coming down that rail crossing for five years, our daughter has a friend who lives just down the road there. She's done that crossing a hundred times," he said.

Mr Roxburgh didn't know how serious the situation was.

"The police said she should be alright, they said she'd been breathing the whole time. But whether they just tell you that or not I don't know."

Mr Roxburgh said his wife had little memory of what happened.

"She doesn't remember a lot. All she could remember was looking to the right.

"The police said the train driver said she was slowing down."