Car leaves road and plunges onto town rail tracks

Jan 1 2008 by Rhodri Evans, South Wales Echo

THREE men had a lucky escape when their car plunged down an embankment and onto a railway line.

Firefighters had to cut two men from the vehicle after the accident at 10.10pm yesterday.

Emergency services said the car left the road at Miskin Street, Barry, and landed on the line just yards from Barry railway station.

A Welsh Ambulance Service spokesman said two men were taken to the University of Wales Hospital, Cardiff, and another was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

It is not thought the men’s injuries were serious.

Two fire engines from Barry and a specialist rescue tender from Ely were called to the scene, along with 10 officers from South Wales Police and more from British Transport Police.

It is understood no trains were running on the line, which runs parallel to Harbour Road and Broad Street, because it was late on New Year’s Eve.

On an average day five trains an hour run from Barry into the capital.

A South Wales Fire & Rescue Service spokeswoman said: “There was a road traffic collision where a car had left the public highway and landed on a railway track.

“Three male adults were involved, one released prior to the arrival of the fire service.”

She said the other two men were cut free by firefighters who put them on longboards in case of back or neck injuries and because the car landed at the bottom of a steep embankment.

South Wales Police duty inspector Chris Smart today said no-one was arrested and investigations into what caused the car to plunge from the road would continue.

Elsewhere, it was a busy night for emergency services across the region, but passed without major incident.

Firefighters in Gilfach Goch were called to a flat fire in Heol y Mynydd at 3.35am.

The ground-floor property was filled with smoke and rescuers used a heat-seeking camera to check if anyone was trapped.

Meanwhile, firefighters in the capital battled a garage fire in Glynrhondda Street, Cathays, which started at 3.30am. No-one was hurt and the cause was under investigation.

ben.glaze@mediawales.co.uk