Dad tells jury of train hitting son's tractor
A Shropshire father has described the "worst few seconds" of his life when he thought his son had been killed as the tractor he was driving was hit by a train on a level crossing.
Steven Butler, of Pentre Aaron Farm, Weston Rhyn, Oswestry, denies dangerous driving and an alternative charge of careless driving, following the incident on July 19, 2008.
At Mold Crown Court yesterday, his father James Nigel Butler said he had pulled up at the crossing at Weston Rhyn, near Oswestry, in his pick-up truck and saw the tractor and trailer trapped by a barrier.
The court heard his son Steven, 25, was trying to reverse and Mr Butler said he ran over and tried to lift the barrier, but couldn't.
"Before I could even look up I heard a bang, like an explosion. All I can remember is a big cloud of dust - and the tractor was gone," he said.
He said that what happened next was like a miracle, adding: "They were the worst few seconds of my life.
"He was still in the cab, hanging out of it. He was still moving. I didn't know whether he was still alive."
Steven Butler said he had used the crossing hundreds of times and was used to the warning lights and the alarm. That day he did not see amber or red flashing lights and heard no alarm.
He said he got on to the crossing and saw the barrier on the other side come down. He stopped and by the time he had done so the barrier on his side was down.
"I was trapped. I looked to the right and saw a train coming around the corner," he said. "I remember waking up on the trailer 30 seconds or a minute later."
Civil engineer David John Evans told the court he had driven through the crossing when he heard a bell but saw no flashing lights.
The case continues.
