Man's car hit by train with his daughter on board

Paul Jeeves

A MOTORIST who skidded on to an icy level crossing has told how his daughter was on board an approaching train.

Brian Lakin, 64, narrowly avoided a repeat of the 2001 Selby rail disaster, which happened just a few miles away from where he lost control on the level crossing at South Duffield on Tuesday.

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Ten people died in the 2001 tragedy when a train ploughed into a vehicle on the line at Great Heck near Selby and Mr Lakin feared a repeat after his Ford Mondeo skidded onto the level crossing in the snow and ice.

The father-of-four saw the 7.33am Hull to Manchester First Trans-Pennine service – which by a quirk of fate had his daughter, Emma Barrett, 28, on board – hurtling down the line at 75mph

He managed to alert the driver, who applied the emergency brake, and the train just clipped the Mondeo and prevented injury to 100 passengers.

Mr Lakin, who lives in South Duffield and works at a lighting company, said: “I hit the line which spun the car, so it was straddling the line. I ran up the line, flagging the driver to stop. You can’t say enough about the driver, he must have been alert.”

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Mr Lakin then called his wife and later he was staggered to find out that his daughter was on the train. “She complained she’d been delayed for four hours, little knowing I was the cause of the incident.”

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