RATLAM (Madhya Pradesh): A car was smashed by a speeding train at a railway crossing in Ratlam on Thursday night. The driver jumped out just in time, and no one was hurt.
The train was the Hisar-Valsad Express. The car, an MG Hector, was dragged along the tracks after the impact. Bystanders filmed the moment, and the video has since spread widely online.
Railway and police teams reached the spot soon after. A JCB machine was brought in to pull the wrecked car off the tracks. Once the line was clear, train services started running again.
Driver blames the gateman
The car’s driver, identified as Upadhyay, says the crash could have been avoided. According to him, he ran to warn the gateman when the train was still five to ten minutes away. He claims the gateman paid no attention.
“When I rushed to inform the gateman, I found him completely drunk,” Upadhyay said. “He was not listening to anything I said.” He added a worrying thought: “What if something had happened to me?”
Upadhyay says he recorded his conversation with the gateman. In that recording, the man can be heard saying he had drunk alcohol about half an hour earlier. The driver says this carelessness led to the accident.
It is important to note that these claims have not been independently verified. Late at night, a medical team was called to take the gateman’s blood sample and run further tests. The results will help show whether he was really under the influence.
What the railways say
A railway official, Kumar, said the first aim was to clear the spot quickly. “Luckily, no passenger was injured and the tracks are also intact,” he said. “Our first priority is to send the train from this location as soon as possible.”
The Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) confirmed that the allegations against the gateman had reached the authorities. He said a proper investigation would follow. If the claims turn out to be true, strict action will be taken.
The railways are now looking into three main questions:
- How did the car get stuck on the crossing?
- Were the correct steps followed when the gates were closed?
- Was the gateman drunk while on duty?
Why this matters
Railway crossings are meant to be safe because the gate and the gateman act as the last line of defence. If a gateman is not alert, a crossing can turn deadly within seconds. In this case, a trapped car was the only damage. A packed train or a car full of people could have meant a far worse story.
For now, the car owner’s claims remain just that: claims. The blood test report and the railway inquiry should show what really happened at the gate that night. Until then, the video remains the strongest proof of how close this crossing came to a major tragedy.
