http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22196154-5006301,00.htmlA TRUCKIE has had an amazing escape this morning after his vehicle collided with the Ghan passenger train north of Adelaide and exploded into segments.
The truck driver, who worked for a septic waste removal company, is in a stable condition in hospital with chest injuries and has been taken by road to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
The incident occurred at a crossing on the Two Wells to Mallala Road just before midday, as the truck driver was turning right into a private property.
Trainspotter Matthew Stewart, who missed capturing the crash on video by mere seconds, said: “It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. The truck exploded in segments. It all happened in slow motion. The truck just did not stop at all.”
A Ghan employee has been treated for minor injuries at the scene and there were no immediate reports on any injuries to passengers. However, many of the 163 passengers and the train driver were badly shaken. They are being taken by bus back to Adelaide.
It follows a serious crash involving the Ghan in Adelaide's northern suburbs in 2002 when four people were killed, and an incident in the Northern Territory in December last year when the train hit a truck at a level crossing.
The truck driver and three passengers from the Ghan were hospitalised after that crash, 130km south of Darwin.
Appliances in attendance
Two Wells 34
Dublin 24
Dublin Rescue
Mallala
Virginia 34
Woolsheds 34
A lucky boy to get out alive
