The railway crossing in the village of Dolné Naštice in the district of Bánovce nad Bebravou is marked only with a Stop sign. The 42-year-old driver of the Volkswagen Golf drove directly in front of the locomotive.
“For unknown reasons, the driver drove into the track of an oncoming locomotive, resulting in a collision,” the Slovak police said on Facebook.
Two people died at the scene and the driver was taken to hospital by helicopter. According to available information, he is in a critical condition.
The driver was breathalyzed with a negative result.
All emergency services responded to the scene. The police investigator opened criminal proceedings for the offense of manslaughter. “The exact circumstances, the cause of the accident and the degree of culpability are the subject of an investigation,” the Slovak police stated.
Last year, there were several serious accidents on Slovakian railways, which miraculously escaped without casualties. But in November, the driver of a van that collided with a train at a level crossing died.
