Man flees from passing train at crossing. Click on red box to enlarge section

by Lynn Cox

A man is lucky to be alive after apparently jumping over a level crossing just as a high speed train thundered past.

The train, which misses him by inches, was travelling over the Gillingham level crossing at about 4.20pm last Friday, Sept 21, just as Medway Messenger photographer, Steve Crispe, was waiting in the traffic.

Steve, 52, was able to take a series of photos showing how close the man came to being hit by the Javelin fast train as it went through the crossing in Ingram Road.

Not only did he get over the barriers - he also stumbled and fell into the path of the train.

Steve couldn’t believe his eyes and grabbed his camera and started to take these shocking photographs.

Steve, who lives in Gillingham, said: “I was just sitting in the traffic and all of a sudden this guy runs past my car.

“I knew what he was going to do, he just ran straight up to the barrier and jumped over it, but as he did so he fell over in the middle of the track.”

Man checks left as he makes a dash across the level crossing

He just reaches safety on the other side.... see cropped picture below bottom, showing a signalman shouting at the man

... as the high-speed train hurtles past. You can see his legs in front of the train

Train crosses the level crossing

Steve continued to take photographs not knowing if the man would be able to get up from the track before the train thundered by.

He added: “He did manage to get back on his feet, but it all happened so quickly the train just appeared and had just managed to get to the other side of the track, but still behind the barrier, as it went by.

“It was unbelievable, I thought to myself he was so stupid, but lucky not to be dead.”

In fact, Steve has managed to get a picture of the train going by and the man’s feet can clearly been seen on the other side of it.

Steve then watched the man get back over the barrier and run off towards the direction of Gillingham FC.

He added: “The guys in the train tower next to the level crossing were looking out of their window and couldn’t believe what had just happened either.”

Another woman who witnessed it was Laura Robinson, who was at the level crossing with her children waiting for the trains to pass.

In fact, brave Laura, even hauled the man back over the barrier as the train whizzed by.

She said: “The children were on top of the bridge watching the trains pass under and they yelled they could see the train coming.

All of a sudden I heard the barriers clanging over the crossing and the was trying to climb over the barrier.

“He stumbled and fell flat on his back on the track side.”

Laura then shouted to the man that the train was coming and he should get out of the way and stay back from the track.

She added: “He looked at the train coming and stumbled across the tracks, by which time I yelled at the children not to look.

“The train beeped the horn and he just hit the barrier, I ran over to him and begged him to just climb over, but he just lent on me so I just hauled him over, he was a dead weight and I think my adrenalin had just kicked in.

“I felt sick for ages and felt for the poor train driver, I’m just glad it was a happy ending.”

A spokesman for the British Transport Police (BTP) said: “BTP officers were called to a report of a man trespassing on the track at Ingram Road, Gillingham, at 4.20pm on Friday, 21 September.

“A 61-year-old man from Gillingham was detained under the Mental Health Act by Kent Police.”