Post by Croc on May 28, 2007 11:25:38 GMT
Woman runs for her life after satnav leads her into path of a train
A Motorist leapt clear of her car with moments to spare after a satellite-navigation system led her into the path of a speeding train.
Paula Ceely watched in horror as the locomotive ploughed into her Renault Clio at over 60mph, then shunted the car half a mile down the track.
Recalling her lucky escape yesterday, the 20-year-old vowed never to rely on satnav instructions again.
Miss Ceely, from Redditch, Worcestershire, was on her way to see boyfriend Tom Finucane, who lives 150 miles away in the village of Hebron, Carmarthenshire, when the drama happened.
Having never been to his house before, she borrowed Mr Finucane's satnav device to direct her there.
She was only a few miles from her destination when she was directed into a country lane as night fell.
She said: 'I thought "The satnav knows where it's going" so I just followed the directions it was giving me. I drove up to a large metal gate but the satnav insisted it was the correct way so I opened it and drove through.'
When she left the car to close the gate she heard the sound of a train's horn and looked down to see she was standing on a railway track.
Crumpled mess: Her Renault Clio was shunted half a mile down the track
She recalled: 'I just had time to get out of the way as the train slammed into my car and carried on down the tracks.
'The train missed me by inches - I thought my number was up.
'I gasped in horror when I saw the empty spot where my car had been parked.'
British Transport Police are investigating the accident, which happened at the Ffynnongain level crossing.
It is not known how many passengers were on the train, which was going from Pembroke Dock to Swansea, at the time.
A spokesman said: 'Satnav systems are not infallible and we would advise people to use them with due caution.'
Miss Ceely, whose car was written off, agreed.
'I put my complete trust in the satnav and it led me right into the path of a speeding train,' she said.
'The crossing wasn't shown on the satnav, there were no signs at all and it wasn't lit up to warn of an oncoming train.
'I'll never use a satnav again. You rely on them and if it all goes wrong, you're horribly stuck.
'People should be more careful with them - you never know where they might lead you.'
Satellite navigation have sent many frustrated motorists down waterlogged roads and impassable country lanes. Earlier this year a survey found that more than four out of ten drivers who had used the devices had got lost or delayed.
In the Hampshire village of Exton, residents have even resorted to putting up roadside signs warning drivers to ignore their satnav systems.
Owing to a fault in the electronic information system, many drivers are sent through the hamlet only to find the lane narrows to 6ft and they get stuck.
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All you need to know is in bold - bloody bog savages up there...
A Motorist leapt clear of her car with moments to spare after a satellite-navigation system led her into the path of a speeding train.
Paula Ceely watched in horror as the locomotive ploughed into her Renault Clio at over 60mph, then shunted the car half a mile down the track.
Recalling her lucky escape yesterday, the 20-year-old vowed never to rely on satnav instructions again.
Miss Ceely, from Redditch, Worcestershire, was on her way to see boyfriend Tom Finucane, who lives 150 miles away in the village of Hebron, Carmarthenshire, when the drama happened.
Having never been to his house before, she borrowed Mr Finucane's satnav device to direct her there.
She was only a few miles from her destination when she was directed into a country lane as night fell.
She said: 'I thought "The satnav knows where it's going" so I just followed the directions it was giving me. I drove up to a large metal gate but the satnav insisted it was the correct way so I opened it and drove through.'
When she left the car to close the gate she heard the sound of a train's horn and looked down to see she was standing on a railway track.
Crumpled mess: Her Renault Clio was shunted half a mile down the track
She recalled: 'I just had time to get out of the way as the train slammed into my car and carried on down the tracks.
'The train missed me by inches - I thought my number was up.
'I gasped in horror when I saw the empty spot where my car had been parked.'
British Transport Police are investigating the accident, which happened at the Ffynnongain level crossing.
It is not known how many passengers were on the train, which was going from Pembroke Dock to Swansea, at the time.
A spokesman said: 'Satnav systems are not infallible and we would advise people to use them with due caution.'
Miss Ceely, whose car was written off, agreed.
'I put my complete trust in the satnav and it led me right into the path of a speeding train,' she said.
'The crossing wasn't shown on the satnav, there were no signs at all and it wasn't lit up to warn of an oncoming train.
'I'll never use a satnav again. You rely on them and if it all goes wrong, you're horribly stuck.
'People should be more careful with them - you never know where they might lead you.'
Satellite navigation have sent many frustrated motorists down waterlogged roads and impassable country lanes. Earlier this year a survey found that more than four out of ten drivers who had used the devices had got lost or delayed.
In the Hampshire village of Exton, residents have even resorted to putting up roadside signs warning drivers to ignore their satnav systems.
Owing to a fault in the electronic information system, many drivers are sent through the hamlet only to find the lane narrows to 6ft and they get stuck.
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All you need to know is in bold - bloody bog savages up there...
