A motorist was killed instantly on Friday (05/03/10), after his car collided with a train on an unmanned level crossing at Wokingham in Berkshire.

The Daily Mail reports that the unnamed driver’s Vauxhall Corsa was shunted along the track for nearly a quarter of a mile by a train believed to be travelling at high speeds.

The driver suffered multiple injuries in the ‘full impact’ collision and was killed instantly. He was pronounced dead at 11am, after emergency services – including paramedics, fire crews and police – rushed to the scene of the accident.

The driver of the train and passengers were reportedly unhurt in the collision.

The unmanned level crossing where the accident happened is just yards from Ludgrove Preparatory School. The 10.42am South West Trains service from Reading to London Waterloo had pulled out of Wokingham station just before the collision happened.

The eight-carriage train service was detained with all its passengers on board for two hours following the crash. Passengers were eventually allowed to leave when the electrical power had been switched off, enabling them to walk along the track to safety.

A spokesman for British Transport Police said that it was not known whether the driver of the Vauxhall Corsa had accidentally driven onto the track as the train approached – or had intended to commit suicide.

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