Czech man faces fine after near miss with train
PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) — Czech police say a man faces a fine after having a near miss with a train while walking over a level crossing.
In a video provided by police, a car dropped off the unidentified man and he walked toward the crossing as the gates came down. He walked around the gates, but didn't start crossing the five sets of tracks until about 10 seconds later.
The man appeared to see the train approaching, because he broke into a jog while looking to his left. A train traveling at 120 kph (75 mph) then clipped his left foot and the force of the impact took off a shoe and knocked him to the ground. He struggled to get up, and when he did, he was hobbling and in a shock. Three cars waiting on both sides of the crossing drove past the man without offering assistance after the train passed and the gates went up.
A man on a motorcycle eventually pulled over about 40 seconds after the man was struck, and appeared to offer help.
Police spokeswoman Iva Sebkova said Thursday people often ignore the warning about the approaching trains at the crossing. The incident happened in Rajec-Jestrebi in southeastern Czech Republic on April 15. Police say he faces a fine of up to 2,500 koruna ($126).
