Idegem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Today, an untimely incidence of death was confirmed in Idegem, a sub-municipality of Geraardsbergen. This was a result of a car-train crash at the level crossing early this morning.
The incident took place around 10:30 AM at the Bareelstraat crossing, so they obstructed the train traffic from Ninove to Geraardsbergen. They arrived to help, and sadly, the man who was hit by a car succumbed to the impact of the injury in the exact spot of the accident.
Last night at Idegem, a man was killed after his car came under hit by a train at the level crossing. The actual cause of this mishap is not yet known, but its outcome left a train route connecting Ninove with Geraardsbergen impassable, making NMBS have no option but to organise replacement buses.
Frédéric Petit of Infrabel stated,
“It is not yet clear how the accident could have happened,”
highlighting the ongoing investigation into the incident. However, they testified that only two passengers were on the train at the time of the collision.
According to Dimitri Temmerman of NMBS,
“They got off and are being taken to their final destination by taxi.”
The tragedy has rendered normal train services inoperable, and NMBS has had to put in place replacement roads for the affected travellers.
Safety concerns at level crossings
This sad incident has many questions about the security of level crossings in Belgium. Level crossings are usually areas of accidents, and the authorities have been forced to upgrade measures to avert the same. Since the launch of the new millennium, the Belgian railway network has been focusing efforts and resources on a number of safety concept studies targeting these locations. This includes the provision of more effective signs, signals, and gates meant to romance the drivers and the pedestrians about the incoming trains.
Besides, it happened at a time when the public should be aware of safety precautions concerning the use of railway systems. The public must take extra precautions while approaching the level crossing and respect traffic lights and signs. Consequently, the effects of this episode are expected to contribute to the ongoing debate on the need for additional safety upgrades right across the rail system.
Over time, local authorities and railway companies will pay a lot of attention to the prevention of such accidents in the future while supporting the families that lost their loved ones in today’s sad event.