Jaw-dropping moment man runs across railway crossing fractions of a second before high-speed train hurtles through
This is the terrifying moment a
pedestrian leapt over the barriers of a level crossing and came within
inches of being struck by Britain's fastest train.
Drivers watched in horror as the man, believed to be 61, hopped over the barrier as the 140pmh Japanese-built Javelin train approached at high speed.
Astonishingly, the man fell over in the middle of the track but managed to pull himself to his feet and escape the thundering engine with just inches to spare.
A series of heart-stopping pictures captured the man running across the track as a terrified railworker shouts at him to stop.
The man is then seen in the middle of the track before the train comes speeding past.
In another picture his feet can be seen just underneath the vehicle - showing how close he came to instant death.
The near miss happened at a crossing in Gillingham, Kent, at 4.20pm last Friday.
After avoiding the train the
man, who was frozen with fear, was hauled over the barrier by Laura
Robinson, who was waiting with her two children.
The shocking moment was captured on camera by photographer Steve Crispe, 52, who was waiting in the traffic leading to the crossing.
He said today: 'I was just sitting in the traffic and all of a sudden this guy runs past my car.
'I knew what he was going to do, he just ran straight up to the barrier and jumped over it, but as he did so he fell over in the middle of the track.
'He did manage to get back on
his feet, but it all happened so quickly the train just appeared and had
just managed to get to the other side of the track, but still behind
the barrier, as it went by.
'It was unbelievable, I thought to myself he was so stupid, but lucky not to be dead.
'The guys in the train tower next to the level crossing were looking out of their window and couldn't believe what had just happened either.'
Brave Laura also described the moment she helped haul the man to safety.
She said: 'The children were on top of the bridge watching the trains pass under and they yelled they could see the train coming.
'All of a sudden I heard the barriers clanging over the crossing and he was trying to climb over the barrier. He stumbled and fell flat on his back on the track side.
'He looked at the train coming and stumbled across the tracks, by which time I yelled at the children not to look.
'The train beeped the horn and he just hit the barrier, I ran over to him and begged him to just climb over, but he just lent on me so I just hauled him over, he was a dead weight and I think my adrenalin had just kicked in.
'I felt sick for ages and felt for the poor train driver, I'm just glad it was a happy ending.'
The Japanese-built high-tech Javelin train is the fastest in Britain and can reach speeds of up to 140mph.
Following the incident a 61-year-old man from Gillingham was detained under the Mental Health Act by Kent Police.
Drivers watched in horror as the man, believed to be 61, hopped over the barrier as the 140pmh Japanese-built Javelin train approached at high speed.
Astonishingly, the man fell over in the middle of the track but managed to pull himself to his feet and escape the thundering engine with just inches to spare.
Close call: The man leapt over the
barriers of a level crossing in Gillingham, Kent, before rushing to the
other side just before Britain's fastest train came thundering through
The man is then seen in the middle of the track before the train comes speeding past.
In another picture his feet can be seen just underneath the vehicle - showing how close he came to instant death.
The near miss happened at a crossing in Gillingham, Kent, at 4.20pm last Friday.
Horror: He starts to run as drivers waiting in their cars can only look on in horror
Stop! A terrified railworker (pictured right) can be seen leaning out of a window shouting at the man to stop
The shocking moment was captured on camera by photographer Steve Crispe, 52, who was waiting in the traffic leading to the crossing.
He said today: 'I was just sitting in the traffic and all of a sudden this guy runs past my car.
'I knew what he was going to do, he just ran straight up to the barrier and jumped over it, but as he did so he fell over in the middle of the track.
Whoosh! Despite falling over in the middle of
the track, the man, thought to be 61, makes it to the other side with
just inches to spare
'It was unbelievable, I thought to myself he was so stupid, but lucky not to be dead.
'The guys in the train tower next to the level crossing were looking out of their window and couldn't believe what had just happened either.'
Lucky: After the 140-mph train thunders past a bystander, who was with her children, hauled the man over the barrier to safety
She said: 'The children were on top of the bridge watching the trains pass under and they yelled they could see the train coming.
'All of a sudden I heard the barriers clanging over the crossing and he was trying to climb over the barrier. He stumbled and fell flat on his back on the track side.
'He looked at the train coming and stumbled across the tracks, by which time I yelled at the children not to look.
'The train beeped the horn and he just hit the barrier, I ran over to him and begged him to just climb over, but he just lent on me so I just hauled him over, he was a dead weight and I think my adrenalin had just kicked in.
'I felt sick for ages and felt for the poor train driver, I'm just glad it was a happy ending.'
The Japanese-built high-tech Javelin train is the fastest in Britain and can reach speeds of up to 140mph.
Following the incident a 61-year-old man from Gillingham was detained under the Mental Health Act by Kent Police.
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