A train driver was injured on Sunday evening when his train hit a carnival float at a railway crossing in Berghem. Jan Slaats from Den Bosch has also experienced a collision as a driver and therefore his thoughts go out to his colleague. “Imagine: you see a carnival float in front of you, but when you brake you are actually already too late, because the train is so heavy.”
Jan Slaats is not only a driver, he also guides colleagues who have experienced something serious as a driver, such as a collision with a car or with a person. Slaats calls himself a return coach: he often accompanies the first journey a driver makes after an accident.
Because that help is important. Such a collision can not only be dangerous, but also traumatic. There is also a lot to do as a driver in such a case, figuratively speaking, Slaats explains.
“In the case of Berghem: put yourself in the shoes of that driver. You see a carnival float in front of you, but you are driving a machine that weighs hundreds of tons. You cannot just stop. You can only go forward and you cannot go to left or right. If you brake you are actually already too late, because the train is so heavy.”
“There’s a roller coaster of emotion going on.”
But that is far from all that goes through your mind, says Slaats. “Then you ask yourself the question: are all the people out of one of those carnival floats? A roller coaster of emotions starts. You must also sound the alarm to warn other trains. Because drivers on the other track are also at risk, for example due to debris on the track.”
On top of that, you’re also dealing with the literal impact that’s about to happen. “Because you know that collision is coming, so you also try to save yourself. You leave your cabin because you don’t want to be in the danger zone. The driver in Berghem probably did not succeed. That’s why he got hurt, I think.”
“The center of gravity is also higher.”
The front of a train cabin has so-called crash buffers. They are approximately at the same height as the platform. “In the event of a collision, the energy is conducted downwards via those buffers. Everything that hits the train above those buffers therefore has much more impact on the cabin. A carnival float is higher than a car. The center of gravity is also higher. That is why the cabin was so seriously damaged in Berghem.”
Slaats has also experienced collisions himself. “Well, in the Netherlands there are very few drivers who have not experienced anything. We are all confronted with it. But near misses are also serious. The impact of such a near collision is underestimated. You still get the adrenaline and fear that comes with a collision. Those experiences can also be traumatic.”
A driver is immediately taken care of by experts after a collision. NS specialists will then also determine whether further help is needed. “It is therefore important to break through certain attitudes a bit. Does such a driver not need any help or does he just think that he does not need any help? Our staff is trained to properly assess such things,” Slaats concludes.
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