Trio escapes as Holden ute smashed on Murray Bridge East train tracks

Three people were at the scene at Murray Bridge when a ute stuck on a crossing was turned into a “twisted mangle of s**t.”

Police are investigating how a car became stuck on train tracks at Murray Bridge East before being destroyed by an oncoming freight train.

Just after 2am Saturday, police were called to a train crossing on Pfeiler Rd after reports a car had been hit.

Police said a Holden ute got stuck while trying to cross the tracks before it was hit.

The driver and two passengers were unable to move the ute before the smash.

The train driver and the three people in the Holden ute were uninjured.

Sherry Pfeiler, who lives on Pfeiler Rd, said she heard the train’s horn before the smash.

Sherry Pfeiler said the entire back half of the Holden ute had been destroyed by the freight train. Picture: Riley Walter

“He (the train driver) was hanging on his horn then next minute I heard this bang,” Ms Pfeiler said.

“There was no back end of the car.

“There’s this mangled up, what was, a vehicle.

“It was upside down, the passenger side was completely gone, I could smell fuel and oil.

“It was just mangled.

Parts of the Holden ute were thrown from the tracks when the car was hit by a freight train. Picture: Riley Walter

A driver has made a lucky escape after his car collided with a freight train at Murray Bridge East. The vehicle was left a crumpled wreck in the shocking accident. Details in 7NEWS Adelaide at 6pm | https://t.co/8ftPfGh39Y#7NEWSpic.twitter.com/pK7Dlj1fuf

— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) April 1, 2023

“It was just a twisted mangle of s**t.”

Ms Pfeiler said she could see the wreckage of the ute being dragged along the tracks.

“I could see the sparks coming out from under the train,” she said.

Ms Pfeiler called triple 0 when she heard the collision before rushing over to assess the damage.

She said she approached the destroyed car while on the phone to triple 0 to check that no one was inside the wreck.

Ms Pfeiler said she had often seen people driving dangerously at the crossing but had never seen a car hit by a train.

“I felt so sorry for the train driver,” Ms Pfeiler said.

“You could hear him on the brakes, it was just screeching.

“He wouldn’t have known (if anybody was in the car).”