The moped rider rode in the Zaubeekstraat in the direction of Olsenestraat around 2:10 p.m. When crossing the railway crossing, the barriers were down, but the man continued driving anyway, Infrabel confirms. “The light was red. Yet a motorcyclist crossed the level crossing for an unknown reason,” says spokesman Frédéric Petit. The barriers may have been down for some time and the man collided with a passing train. That is still being investigated.
The moped was thrown away and ended up in the canal. The driver remained conscious but suffered life-threatening injuries. He was treated on the spot and then taken by ambulance to AZ Groeninge in Kortrijk. His moped has been reduced to scrap.
After the incident, the train with which the man came into contact continued to Waregem station. It is possible that the driver did not notice a collision taking place. The public prosecutor’s office was informed of the facts. The accident disrupted train traffic in both directions for several hours, but trains are now running again between Deinze and Waregem. This is confirmed by rail network operator Infrabel.
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© jof
The incident in Zulte is yet another case in which the barriers at a level crossing are ignored, much to the dissatisfaction of railway manager Infrabel. “The circumstances of the accident in Zulte are not yet completely clear, so we still have to speak in two words,” says Petit.
“It would make a man despondent. Despite all the checks and awareness campaigns, the rules are still not respected. However, it could not be clearer, there is a barrier, a red light and an audible signal. It is very unfortunate that this is happening again.”
Stroller with baby
The accident follows a day after an incident in which a woman crossed a closed railway crossing in Wetteren with her pram. A few seconds later the train passed by. Less than an hour later, a motorcyclist did the exact same thing in the same spot.
Yesterday morning at 9.29 am in Wetterstraat, a woman crossed the closed level crossing with a pram containing her baby. A witness who was waiting at the barriers at the time saw everything happen. “We have no camera images or reports from witnesses or the train driver, but we are aware of the incident,” Infrabel said.
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“This is incomprehensible and hallucinatory,” responds spokesperson Frédéric Petit. “It could have been much worse. It is a shame that this still happens too often, despite all the awareness campaigns we do. This just gives you goosebumps. We would therefore like to once again appeal to everyone to adhere to the traffic rules. There are several signals that show that there is a railway crossing. It’s simple: if the red light is on, you have to stop,” says the Infrabel spokesperson.
Striking: the woman with the buggy was not the only one who decided to cross the closed level crossing. Just 42 minutes later, a motorcyclist imitated her. Both cases were recorded by Infrabel’s technical camera.
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Action plan
Last month, the railway manager launched an action plan to increase safety on the Belgian rail network. In 2023, the number of accidents at level crossings decreased by 31 accidents and 6 deaths. The number of reports of rail walking also decreased slightly compared to 2022, with 632 reports and 5 deaths. The impact of this on train traffic, on the other hand, has increased. Last year there were more than 12 hours of delays every day due to accidents at level crossings and tracks combined.
