Skip to main content

A Wrong Turn

In the UK a pensioner made a wrong turn that could have ended in disaster. As the 85 year-old woman drove her car across a level crossing, she inexplicably turned onto the railway tracks and then proceeded to drive along them. She drove her Peugeot for some 75m before the car stopped, blocking the busy main line between London's Waterloo station and Bournemouth. The woman and her 20 year-old relative quickly got out of the car and the incident was immediately reported. Train services were stopped until the
April 16, 2012 Read time: 1 min
In the UK a pensioner made a wrong turn that could have ended in disaster. As the 85 year-old woman drove her car across a level crossing, she inexplicably turned onto the railway tracks and then proceeded to drive along them. She drove her 3504 Peugeot for some 75m before the car stopped, blocking the busy main line between London's Waterloo station and Bournemouth. The woman and her 20 year-old relative quickly got out of the car and the incident was immediately reported. Train services were stopped until the vehicle could be removed by the emergency services. The woman was treated for shock by paramedics. It is not clear why she made this mistake or how she confused the railway tracks for the road she had wished to take however.
 

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Research reveals UK drug driving risk
    August 13, 2013
    Research carried out on behalf of an insurance firm reveals a worryingly high level of drug use amongst the UK’s drivers. The study was carried out for the insurance company Confused.com and shows that up to 20% of British drivers admit to using drugs while at the wheel. This contrasts strongly with official police data for drivers caught under the influence of drugs in 2012. This information shows that only 1,132 people were caught drug driving in 2012, down by 12.5% from the 1,294 in 2011. The data reveal
  • Bechtel achieves tricky bridge replacement in tight timeframe
    March 21, 2012
    Contractor Bechtel has worked with Network Rail to complete a major road bridge upgrade in the UK. A construction team worked 104 hours consecutively to replace the bridge, located at Reading Station.
  • Swiss speeder
    May 10, 2016
    A 16-year-old Swiss youth has found his high-speed high jinks will have repercussions. The youth travelled with his mother in a Chrysler Crossfire sportscar towards the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife racetrack, to take part in an open day. Even on its way to the track, the car was clocked for speeding along a restricted section of Autobahn.
  • bargain hunting, live onsite auction day in Donington, UK
    November 14, 2016
    It’s live onsite auction day in Donington, UK and it’s noisy. It’s also raining in early morning but that doesn’t put off the gathering crowd Buyers are milling around parked machinery. They kick tyres and slam doors. Some are behind the wheel, gingerly nudging vehicles frontwards and backwards or raising and lowering booms. Their partners stand a few metres away scrutinising the machine’s movements.