Man killed as train crushes his vehicle in Redovan

THE Guardia Civil are investigating the cause of a rail accident in Redovan on Monday evening.

A man, aged 35, was killed on after a train crushed his car as he drove through a level crossing between La Campaneta (Orihuela) and Redovan, official sources said.

The train was en route from Valencia to Cartagena when the accident happened at about 7.30pm.

The passenger of the Peugeot 205 involved in the accident was injured and was taken to Vega Baja Hospital in Orihuela.

Both men were of North African origin.

The area where the accident occurred is said to be straight and to have good visibility; however it is not illuminated.

As is standard procedure for the company in charge of Spain’s railway infrastructure, ADIF, whenever an accident occurs; an official investigation has been opened as to why the car was on the rails when the train was approaching.

ADIF reported that the level crossing is controlled by a half barrier and light signals are activated by a mechanism when the train is approaching. Until the results of the inquiry are produced, ADIF representatives refused to speculate as to why the vehicle was on the tracks at the time of the accident.

There is also an ‘event log’ which marks the rise and fall of the barrier.

Sources say that the body of the deceased was outside the car when emergency services arrived, raising the question as to whether he was in the car at the time of the impact.
The train stopped 500 metres away, and none of the  passengers on it were injured.

Traffic on the level crossing was stopped for about two hours.