Poland train crash prompts calls for tougher level-crossing rules
One passenger has died and about 20 people were injured after an Intercity train collided with a concrete mixer at a level crossing in central Poland and derailed. The train, travelling from Lublin to Szczecin, was carrying around 120 passengers when the crash occurred near Sokolniki Suche, close to Przysucha, on 9 September.
According to reports on the accident, four people were seriously injured, including the train driver and the driver of the concrete mixer. The impact caused the locomotive and several carriages to leave the tracks, with emergency crews, ambulances and air rescue teams sent to the scene.
The level crossing was equipped with working warning signals, according to railway officials. The truck driver reportedly told officials he may have been blinded by sunlight, although investigators are still establishing the exact circumstances of the Poland train crash.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for urgent changes after the collision, describing it as another serious accident at a railway crossing. Polskie Radio reported that the government is preparing tougher penalties for drivers who enter crossings despite barriers or red warning lights, while prosecutors continue to investigate the crash.
