Music teacher says he bears no grudge after rail accident

Music was Victor Laubach's life but it was cruelly taken away from him the day he was involved in an accident in which a train was travelling too fast.

Yesterday (Wednesday) a damning report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch into the accident on the Dean Forest Railway (DFR) on August 15 last year highlighted several failures including excessive speed.

Jazz lover Mr Laubach had been manning the gates at Lydney in Gloucestershire when a reversing train struck a partially open gate, detaching it from its mountings and sending it crashing into the 69-year-old. He suffered four skull fractures, bruising to the brain, two broken wrists and a broken collarbone in the horrific smash at the Hill Street crossing in Lydney. But for the passionate music teacher it was the partial paralysis of his face as a result of the brain injury that has been the main blow.

Amazingly despite a report clearly blaming excessive speed for the accident Mr Laubach, who had been volunteering at the railway for six years, is a forgiving man.

"Music was my life and railways were my hobby," Mr Laubach said at his Gloucester home yesterday. "I don't remember anything from the moment of impact from the crossing gate hitting me in the back of the head to when I came round in Bristol Frenchay Hospital seven or eight weeks later. I have been told by various specialists that it is best that way because I really don't want to know about the accident. I broke both wrists and for a musician that is not a great thing. One of the results of the head injury is that I have been paralysed on one side of my face and as I was a French horn player that has put paid to that.

"It is very frustrating because I cannot teach and I can't do the things that I used to do which were such a big part of my life. Sadly at the moment I can not even go back to the trains. I am still recovering because I have been left with a balance problem.

"Unfortunately a level crossing, by its nature, is a dangerous place to be despite all the attempts to divert the danger. But it is worth noting that up until that date and since there has not been an accident there. That says a lot for a railway that has been there since the 1800s.

"This accident was just one of those things. It was a series of minor mistakes that led to a rather serious accident. I harbour no grudges at all and the main thing is that it could have been a lot worse. I have been reminded on many occasions that I could be dead. It's nobody's fault. It was small human mistakes that were made and one that I can completely forgive."

The report outlined the main cause of the accident: "The train was travelling at an excessive speed, both in terms of the permitted speed at the location and the rail head conditions, as it approached the crossing." It also highlighted the lack of training for the crew, the wet conditions, and the failure of the warning system.

The report made several recommendations, many of which have already been carried out by DFR members.

Peter Adams, chairman of the Dean Forest Railway Company, said: "I do not necessarily agree with the findings in this report. These things are published before a regulatory body considers them for discussions and any further investigation."

Edit Note: Apologies if I have posted this here in some detail - I just think Mr Laubach is a quite remarkable man. Chris.

For the article, see http://www.westpress.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=146238&command=displayContent&sourceNode=146064&contentPK=21005848&folderPk=100268&pNodeId=145795