29.10.2006

Train strikes lift

A man suffered serious injuries when a freight train hit the boom lift he was working from, catapulting him more than five metres to the ground. He was not wearing a harness.

The accident occurred in North Geelong, near Melbourne, Australia on Friday. The man, 54, was preparing the bottom of a bridge to make it ready for painting.
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The JLG boom was hit by the train but remained upright and stable

Local reports say that the lift was operating from the road that runs parallel with the rail lines and that the boom was extended over the railway. The man was supposed to receive a phone call warning him when any trains were approaching.

Needless to say the telephone call did not come and although the train sounded its warning horns the operator either did not hear them or was unable to move the platform quickly enough.

The boom Lift remained fully stable but the operator was thrown out of the cage and suffered head and internal injuries along with a broken leg. He was not wearing a harness and short lanyard.

Police, WorkSafe and Department of Infrastructure officers attended the accident and investigations are continuing.