The Kyiv-Uzhhorod train collided with a mobile crane: there are fatalities

1 May 08:34

A fatal accident involving a Kyiv-Uzhhorod passenger train and a mobile crane occurred in the Lviv region on the morning of May 1. According to preliminary reports, the heavy equipment drove onto the railroad crossing, after which the collision occurred. The locomotive derailed; there are fatalities and injuries. The accident was reported by journalist Vitaliy Glagola and Ukrzaliznytsia, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"

According to Glagola, the accident occurred around 6:00 a.m. near the village of Lyubyntsi, close to Stryi. The train collided with a mobile crane while crossing the railroad crossing, after which the locomotive derailed.

What is known about the accident

According to preliminary information, the Kyiv-Uzhhorod passenger train collided with a mobile crane at a railroad crossing in Lviv Oblast. The impact was so severe that the locomotive derailed.

Journalist Vitaliy Glagola reported that the train engineer and the crane operator were killed in the accident.

“The train engineer and the crane operator died at the scene. The assistant engineer survived but sustained serious injuries,” Vitaliy Glagola wrote.

At the same time, an official statement from Ukrzaliznytsia at the time of the initial reports confirmed the death of the train engineer, the absence of injuries among passengers, and the hospitalization of the assistant engineer and the crane truck driver.

What Ukrzaliznytsia is saying

Ukrzaliznytsia stated that the accident was caused by a gross violation of traffic rules by the crane truck driver, who drove onto the railroad crossing despite the prohibitive signals.

“Another accident at a crossing due to the driver’s disregard for traffic rules. The crane truck driver drove onto the railroad crossing despite the warning signals. As a result, a collision with the train occurred,” Ukrzaliznytsia reported.

The company confirmed the death of the train engineer and reported that passengers were unharmed.

“Our train driver died at the scene. Passengers were not injured. The assistant train driver is in the hospital with severe injuries. The crane truck driver is also in the hospital,” Ukrzaliznytsia noted.

Emergency services are working at the scene of the accident, and the train itself is being quickly towed away so it can continue on its route.

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Pertsovsky: The deceased engineer was a veteran

Ukrzaliznytsia CEO Oleksandr Pertsovskyi reacted emotionally to the tragedy. He emphasized that the accident was not caused by an enemy attack, but by the actions of a driver who drove onto the crossing despite the warning signals being active.

“And this isn’t an enemy drone… it’s yet another reckless driver who drove onto the crossing this morning in the Lviv region. Despite the warning signals. A truck crane. The result—a tragedy,” Pertsovsky wrote.

According to him, the train passengers were unharmed, and the train is being quickly towed away so it can continue its journey.

“Our engineer has died. There were doctors on the train who tried to save him—but, unfortunately, there was no chance. The assistant engineer and the driver himself are in the hospital. We are quickly towing the train so it can continue on its way… Fortunately, none of the passengers or train crew were injured,” the head of Ukrainian Railways reported.

Pertsovsky also noted that the deceased engineer was a veteran who had returned to work on the railroad after his military service.

“The deceased engineer was our veteran. He returned from the front and went back to work. And he died because of such a despicable act by yet another person trying to sneak through on a hunch,” he wrote.

The head of Ukrzaliznytsia also stated that the company will seek strict accountability for those responsible.

“We will do everything in our power to ensure justice and the harshest possible punishment—an exemplary punishment that garners public attention,” emphasized Pertsovskyi.

He urged drivers to review the rules for crossing railroad crossings once again.

“Please review the rules for crossing railroad crossings today. We are losing too many lives due to the war; it is extremely painful to bury colleagues because of such criminal, deadly recklessness,” he added.