A German train derailed and partly overturned Tuesday, injuring 50 people, after it slammed into a car - but the motorist had a lucky escape from certain death , reported dpa.
The four-carriage train was travelling from Chemnitz to Leipzig when it hit the car at a level crossing and derailed, with the front carriage overturning. Nine of the injured were admitted to hospital.
Torsten Henkel, a federal police spokesman, said the car had halted at the lowered gate of the crossing as the regional express approached and the driver got out to watch it pass. A van approached from behind and failed to brake, ramming the car onto the tracks.
"The car was empty. Otherwise the man would have been killed," said Henkel.