It was just a jolt... then horror started

The off-duty policeman knew he had only moments in which to act. On the level crossing in front of him, lit by the glare of his headlights, was a stationary car.

The barriers were up but with the warning lights already flashing the officer knew a train would be only half a minute away.

He knew he had no time to approach the driver of the car so he ran to the emergency phone in a yellow box by the side of the crossing. By now the barriers had come down and time was fast running out.

The next few seconds were to have devastating consequences for hundreds of people, resulting in the death of seven, injuries to dozens more and renewed debate about the safety of hundreds of level crossings in Britain.

The officer, who was desperately trying to contact signal control farther up the line to warn them of the obstruction, failed to get a reply by the time the 300-tonne train bore down on the crossing.

He watched in horror as the

5.35pm Paddington to Plymouth express smashed into the parked Mazda 323 at 100mph, crushing it like a flimsy tin can and sending it spinning off the tracks.

Deputy Chief Constable of the British Transport Police, Andy Trotter, said: "The officer thought something was amiss when he saw the car on the crossing. He didn't know the intent of the driver but he jumped out of his car to go to the emergency phone. It happened in such a short space of time. It was a matter of seconds between spotting the car and the barriers coming down."

The train had left Paddington with 300 people on board, stopping at Reading where it picked up more passengers, including Reading fans returning home from a game against Stoke City. Many on board had been shopping in the West End and were making their way back to the West Country.

They packed away their luggage and chatted, oblivious to the fact that ahead of them a man had driven onto the level crossing and appeared intent on taking his own life and placing theirs in jeopardy.

Some were queuing for refreshments from the buffet car, others were nodding off for the long trip home. Suddenly they felt a jolt, as the train driver - the stationary car in his sights - attempted frantically to make an emergency stop. It was too late.

Jon Stace, 21, on his way to a party in Newbury, said the initial jolt caused one of his friends to spill his beer. "We all had a bit of a joke, we thought it was a blip on the track," he said. "The lights went out and the next thing the train was on its side. It was rolling over. The noise was terrifying.

"I could hear the banging of the rails and the screeching and smashing of all the cars and then the sound of it running along the gravel and the dirt, and the glass smashing. I could feel bodies going on top of me and being thrown in different directions."

After hitting the car, the First Great Western train ploughed on for 100 metres before it passed over a set of points. The combination of the impact and the points derailed the train, sending the carriages spinning off the tracks.

Two of the carriages ended up at right angles to the train, the force of the crash jack-knifing them into a field bordering the line. Three other carriages were crumpled on their side in an ugly tangle of metal and plastic.

Windows shattered and the lights went out. Bags and cases hurtled though the darkness and people were thrown on top of each other. Some were flung from the train, landing in the field, other became trapped in the mangled wreckage.

Jonny Saunders, a reporter with BBC Radio Five Live, said: "There was suddenly this extraordinary stopping sensation. We came to a juddering halt. There was screaming, shouting and it went pitch black, then total chaos."

Alex Mayor, 15, who was returning to boarding school after watching a football match, said: "The train started shaking and swerving then went down on its side and the lights went off. The carriage behind us crumpled and came off the track. I think there were two people that died on the train in our carriage."

Inside the train those who remained conscious scrambled to find mobile phones to call for help.

Freelance journalist Malcolm Shepherd, who had been sitting in seat 12, coach A, said: "Eventually I spoke to a female officer who told me I was 'in charge'. It was the right thing to do, but actually unnecessary because everyone was behaving in an incredibly calm and orderly way.

"In pitch black and at an alarming angle we helped each other to struggle along the carriage to a window, which one of the passengers had smashed.

"A policeman led us across a field and over the level crossing on to which, unbeknown to us, the car had been driven."

By now passengers were limping out of the stricken train, helping those more badly injured.

At the level crossing the off-duty officer was on his mobile phone, directing the emergency services to the scene of the devastation, known locally as Ufton Crossing, a few hundred yards from the A4 Reading to Newbury road and across from the Kennet and Avon canal.

Moments after the crash Roger Taylor had drawn up to the opposite side of the barrier from the officer.

He said: "I got out of the car and flashed my torch at the train. The red crossing lights were flashing and the red train lights were on. I shone my torch across the track and saw this guy, who I later found out was the police officer.

"He was on his mobile phone giving instructions to the emergency services. It was horrifyingly silent, just a terrible silence."

Passengers began emerging, dazed and hurt. Many were crying. Others, their faces ashen, were in shock. Among the dead was the train driver, from Exeter, and an eight-year-old girl. "People were walking across the fields looking for help in clear distress," said Mr Taylor. "We did whatever we could, whatever was humanly possible."

Alerted by the noise of the crash, villagers from nearby Ufton Nervet came running to help, shepherding the walking wounded and the confused to the nearby Winning Hand pub. When there were no more stretchers, broken tables were used to carry others to safety.

Seventy-one people were taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading and Royal Hampshire Hospital-in Basingstoke. Four were described as being in a serious condition - two critical.

The extent of the devastation became apparent yesterday morning. Thirty metres from the crossing lay the mangled remains of the Mazda saloon, the cardboard the driver had used to carefully line his boot exposed amid the torn metal.

Along the track from the crossing were the crushed carriages, some with their sides ripped open. Bogies ripped from the undercarriages lay exposed on the trackside gravel. One first-class carriage at the front of the train had been bent double. Inspecting the destruction Mr Trotter said: "It's an awful scene. The amount of damage is amazing."

The yard of Tree World Nursery next to the crossing was commandeered for dozens of emergency vehicles. Earth-lifting equipment parked on the side of narrow country lanes awaited their turn.

As forensic science officers combed the track for evidence, the last of the bodies having been recovered, a crucial question remained - what is the full story of the tragic man who drove his car on to the crossing?