We were notified about the incident by readers, residents of Bolesławiec County, who told us the following: on Sunday, March 8, both women were driving through a railway crossing in Kierżno (Nowogrodziec commune, Bolesławiec County). The barrier was open and the traffic lights were not working. They thought no train was coming, drove onto the crossing and... narrowly avoided colliding with a train.
In an email to the editorial office, one of them wrote:
When both we and the train had passed, the barriers began literally opening and closing for just a moment. A person living near the crossing (a woman who had witnessed the entire incident) was standing at the window and said in disbelief to her family: “My God, they managed to get across.” She told us that this was not the first such case.
According to the participant in the incident, a resident of Kierżno later told both women that she had once seen three people die this way in a small car.
We contacted Mirosław Siemieniec, press spokesperson for PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A., about the incident:
Thank you for bringing the incident to our attention. Safety is very important to us.
On March 8, a fiber-optic cable was damaged on the Zebrzydowa–Bolesławiec route. In accordance with safety rules, train speeds were limited to 20 km/h at that time, and drivers were required to exercise caution at crossings. The system has been repaired. It is being monitored, and we have received no reports of improper operation. It was also inspected.
In 2005, at this crossing near Kierżno, a driver drove in front of a train despite the traffic lights working. The driver's error ended tragically.
As part of its modernization, the crossing was equipped not only with traffic lights but also with half-barriers. It guarantees safe passage. We remind drivers of their obligation to exercise particular caution where the track crosses the road and to check whether a train is approaching, in accordance with the traffic code.