Whitland train crash: Lorry driver admits endangering lives

A lorry driver has admitted causing a £250,000 train crash in Carmarthenshire with hundreds of bales of hay.

Swansea Crown Court heard Oswald Davies, 49, risked the lives of passengers after driving his truck pulling two giant hay trailers onto a busy train line.

Seven passengers were injured in the smash as bales of hay were scattered across the track after the train hit the lorry. Davies was crossing the rail-line in his lorry pulling the two trailers when the safety barrier came down on the other side.

The engine driver, travelling from Milford Haven to Manchester, could not stop in time after spotting the lorry across the lines.

The train was travelling at 60mph at Whitland, Carmarthenshire, on December 19 last year. Davies pleaded guilty to endangering the lives of passengers.

The court heard the cost of the incident so far has been estimated at £250,000 - with damage to the train and the cost of diverting other services.The court was told some of those injured still had "ongoing difficulties."

Miles Bennett, defending, said he believed maintenance workers from Network Rail had lowered the safety barrier as a prank.

He said: "He thought the Network Rail people were mucking about with him. He got out of his cab to remonstrate with them. The accident happened just moment afterwards."

Davies, of Castell Pigyn, Llanboidy, was accused of endangering the lives of people using the railway after his Scania lorry towing two hay trailers came into contact with a train at the Henllan Amgoed Crossing, Whitland.

Davies was released on bail and will be sentenced later this month.