Polish railcar driver hailed for warning people before crash

WARSAW, Poland – A railcar driver in western Poland has been hailed as a hero for saving passengers from injuries as the train crashed into a truck stranded on the tracks.

Footage from the railcar shows the driver, Mateusz Szymanski, rushing through the vehicle and warning passengers, who threw themselves on the floor, just seconds before the crash on April 19. Another piece of footage shows construction beams from the truck smash into emptied seats.

No one was injured.

Szymanski told TVN24 he pulled the emergency brakes and rushed to warn passengers as the train travelled at a speed of some 110 kilometres (68 miles) per hour from Wagrowiec to Poznan, in western Poland.

Krzysztof Ryfa, a railway director, said “we can say he almost certainly saved passengers from injuries.”