Drunk sleeps on as train passes over him

A heavily intoxicated Blenheim man slept between railway tracks as a train rumbled over him in Blenheim early on Saturday, police say.

The train driver telephoned police and told them he might have run over somebody on the railway tracks at the Dillons Pt Rd crossing in Blenheim about 5am.

"The driver wasn't sure if it was clothing he had gone over or not," Constable Michelle Stagg of Blenheim police said.

"When police arrived, sure enough there he was, asleep between the tracks."

Police woke the man, who they said was very drunk, and found his only injuries were some minor cuts to his forehead. He had been lying on his back between the tracks as the southbound freight train passed over him.

"He was very lucky to have only a few minor cuts on him. It's amazing really," Stagg said.

She said the man had not been charged.

KiwiRail senior communications adviser Jenni Austin said KiwiRail continued to be horrified by the reckless actions of some individuals near railway tracks.

"This man is obviously extremely lucky, but it really is horrifying to picture it.

"These people put their lives in grave danger and cause considerable distress to our drivers."

- © Fairfax NZ News