Lorry driver smashes through level crossing

This is the dramatic moment a lorry driver careered through a Black Country level crossing, smashing down a barrier.

The driver, 31-year-old Karl Simpson, was spared a driving ban after he admitted careless driving in relation to the incident at Cradley Heath level crossing when he appeared in court this week.

Simpson, of Oldbury, was handed nine penalty points and ordered to pay £380 in fines and costs at Sandwell Magistrates Court in Warley.

The court heard how Simpson was caught on CCTV driving through the crossing as the barriers descended at 10.35am on January 19.

The first barrier bounced off the top of his articulated Volvo but the second was torn from its hinges as Simpson drove through.

Defending himself, Simpson told magistrates: "I am very sorry about the incident.

"I was a mistake on my part. There were no lights on as I approached the crossing but then they suddenly changed to red and the barriers came down.

"I was already on the tracks and I had no choice but to get the vehicle off the tracks as quickly as possible and I hit the second barrier."