Moment ‘helpless’ train driver nearly collides with dog walker on level crossing

Watch: 'Helpless’ train driver nearly collides with man and his two dogs on level crossing

CCTV footage shows the moment a train narrowly missed a dog walker crossing the tracks.

Train driver Mike Leonard, 54, said he thought the two dogs crossing the track were sheep before he spotted an elderly man step out in front of him in north Wales.

Mike was driving between Machynlleth and Pwllheli on 9 July when he came within seconds of hitting the man on the Harlech Cliffs level crossing.

The footage was released as a warning to locals and visitors who use the crossing.

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Mike said: “I saw two white things on the track, I thought they were sheep.

“Then I realised they were dogs and suddenly this elderly man with a walking stick came up from the beach and just stepped out in front of the train, too.

“The dogs weren’t on a lead and the man didn’t even look as he crossed.

"I was about four seconds away from hitting him."

Just three weeks later, at the same location, another dog owner had a narrow escape after venturing onto the track after their pet.

Mike, who has been driving for 15 years, said he had lost count of the number of times he has been forced to apply the emergency brake because of people crossing.

He added: “In that moment you’re actually helpless.

“You put the brake into emergency, you blow the horn, and it’s out of your hands.

“The train stops when it stops."

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Mike said he had around six instances he would call very bad near misses where people had been seconds away from being hit by the train.

One time involved two school children near Shrewsbury, where one was dancing on the track recklessly.

Mike is one of many rail industry workers who have had to take time off work after witnessing a near miss or fatality.

He said incidents like this could cause a lot of stress and anxiety.

Phil Caldwell, Network Rail’s level crossing manager for Harlech, said: “There are around 300 different level crossings between Dovey Junction and Pwllheli alone - so everyone needs to stay vigilant and alert when near the railway.”

Krista Sexton, head of operational risk at Network Rail Wales and Borders, added: "Trains approach almost silently.

“If you’re distracted by a dog, headphones, mobile phone or anything else, you won’t notice a train approaching until it’s too late.”