POLICE investigating the death of a young girl killed when the car she was in was hit by a train say they have now spoken to the woman driver involved.
Emma Lifsey, four, suffered serious injuries in the crash at Beech Hill Crossing, Misson Springs, near Doncaster, on December 4. She was airlifted to Sheffield Children’s Hospital but died a few hours later.
An ongoing investigation has revealed the crash happened after the Volvo car ‘drove through a barrier and into the path of the approaching train’.
The 67-year-old woman car driver suffered serious neck injuries – and detectives are looking at how the vehicle came to be on the tracks.
A spokesman for British Transport Police said they had now spoken to the driver and the investigation into the incident is ongoing.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has released information which said the level crossing was operating normally at the time of the accident, with the barriers lowered as the car approached.
The weather was sunny but there had been rain showers earlier and the road surface was wet. The car was travelling north to south over the crossing when it drove through a barrier and into the path of the train.
The RAIB is continuing its investigations and said it intends to identify the sequence of events leading up to the tragedy, including considering whether the design of road signs and equipment at the crossing are appropriate and whether they could be improved.
The RAIB said its report was to be independent of any investigations by the Office of Rail Regulation and British Transport Police.
A private family funeral was held for Emma on December 17.
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