Driver suffers life-changing injuries after SatNav directs car into train going over 100km/h

The young driver collided with a Heuston-Westport passenger train last year.

After missing a turn, a young driver was misdirected by a SatNav system when his vehicle collided with a train at an unmanned level crossing in Mayo last year.

The car the two men were travelling in was propelled over 30 metres as a result of the collision.

The Railway Accident Investigation Unit (RAIU) revealed details of the serious incident which took place at a level crossing located between Ballyhaunis and Claremorris.

Railway investigators concluded the main cause of the collision was the failure of the previous user to close the gates.

Additionally, the motorists lack of familiarity with the unmanned crossing, as well as his failure to react to advance warning signs and to stop to check for approaching trains, were all named as factors in the collision.

The incident occurred shortly after 3pm in September 2023, as a Dublin Heuston-Westport train with 190 passengers on board approached the location known as Prendergast’s Level Crossing.

The RAIU report reveals that the train driver had sounded the horn on its approach to the level crossing while the train was travelling at 110 km/h.

The driver, who lives in Galway, had taken a wrong turn in Claremorris on route way to Longford and was using a SatNav system which had diverted him onto unfamiliar rural roads.

It was also the first time ever that the 20-year-old driver, who held a full licence, had used such a crossing.

The driver and the other male occupant of the Skoda Octavia were airlifted to University Hospital Galway after being treated at the scene by a doctor, nurse and two rapid responders who were passengers on the train.

The car's passenger suffered life-changing injuries and requires ongoing medical intervention and therapies, while the driver sustained a broken ankle.

The RAIU recommended that the Department of Transport should continue to trial a new warning sign depicting a train striking a car to highlight the approaching hazard at unmanned crossings.