Charles (Joe) David Ryan (58) was travelling east on a driveway leading to Waimotu Rd in a Toyota HiLux when his vehicle was hit by a north-bound train about 7.35am.
The train caught the right front bumper and panel, throwing it about 90 degrees off the tracks. The 165-tonne, 85m-long train and wagons stopped about 420m down the track.
Mr Ryan, who served in Oamaru as a senior constable and left the force about five years ago, received minor injuries and was treated at Oamaru Hospital. He was the sole occupant of the vehicle.
Senior Constable Darrin Low, of Hampden, said Mr Ryan, who lived down the driveway, approached the crossing and looked to the north into the low, rising sun. He then looked to the south, but did not see the train approaching.
As he drove on to the tracks, he heard the train, slammed the utility into reverse and managed to almost back off the tracks before the vehicle was hit.
Mr Ryan declined to comment when approached by the Otago Daily Times yesterday.
KiwiRail spokeswoman Kimberley Brady said the driver was uninjured but shaken after the incident, and that a trainee driver was also on board.
In keeping with company policy, a replacement driver travelled from Dunedin to complete the trip, resulting in a three-hour delay.
KiwiRail was investigating the incident, which came as a timely reminder during Rail Safety Week for people to take care around rail crossings, she said.
This is the second such crash in just over four months in the North Otago area.
In May, two women escaped serious injury when their Toyota Corolla hit a southbound train at the railway crossing in Foyle St, Oamaru.
