Car hit house after crashing through level crossing barriers
A homeowner was watching football on TV when a car smashed into his house after crashing through closed level crossing barriers in Streethouse.
Police had been pursuing a suspected stolen car shortly before it crashed through barriers at the level crossing on Whinney Lane just after 5pm on Sunday November 8.
The car then ploughed through a hedge and struck the wall of a house at the corner of Whinney Lane and Whitwell Main.
It a demolished summer house before smashing into the wall of an integral garage at the house.
The homeowner said: “I was watching the Man United Villa match. They were 2-0 down. It was like an earthquake. I heard a rumbling noise than it was like a bomb going off. There was debris everywhere.”
He said it has caused structural damage to the house.
A witness has spoken of the terrifying a moment a freight train narrowly missed the car after crashed through the closed level crossing barriers.
Barry Hawkins, who was walking his dog, was stood on a path at the Featherstone side behind the closed barriers.
He was waiting to cross on foot when he saw the police pursuit of the car on Whinney Lane.
Barry said the car passed within around 12 inches from where he was stood and smashed through the first two barriers on to the train line before hitting the second set of barriers.
He said a freight train travelling from the Wakefield towards Ferrybridge narrowly missed hitting the car and ran over debris from broken barriers on the tracks.
He could hear a crunching nose as the train ran over debris, some of which flew up and struck him.
The train stopped at the crossing and no-one was injured.
The car then struck the wall of the house.
Barry said the car had driven on to the wrong side of the road to overtake a queue of around seven vehicles before crashing through the barriers.
Barry said: “I could feel the wind off it (the car) as it passed me.”
“The train missed the car by probably one to two seconds. The police car was right behind him. It was very close. I thought the train was going to hit the car. I was scared to death.
"Al the debris from the gates was in the middle of the lines.”
A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “Officers aborted the pursuit when the vehicle headed towards a railway crossing where the barriers were closed.
“The vehicle continued through the barriers and came to a stop on the other side of the railway.
“An oncoming freight train collided with debris from the vehicle. The train driver was not injured and the train did not derail.
“A man has been arrested and is currently in custody.”
Rail services were disrupted but are now running again.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “The railway between Wakefield Kirkgate and Pontefract Monkhill has reopened following a vehicle striking the barriers at Streethouse level crossing yesterday evening (Sunday 8 November).
"The road is currently closed while our engineers carry out essential repairs. We appreciate the impact this has on the local community and thank people for their patience while we work to reopen the road as quickly as possible.”