A TRAIN came within seconds of smashing into a car that had broken down on a railway line at Collie on Friday, according to police.
Officers were called to a site behind Roche Park about 5am where the train had stopped abruptly.
Collie Senior Sergeant Mike Dean said a contractor who had been working in Collie was driving in the early hours of the morning when his vehicle got bogged on the line.
He said the man had climbed out of the vehicle after it became stuck.
"The train managed to stop with only feet to spare," Snr Sgt Dean said.
"Trains do not stop on a penny, if he had been hit, it is highly likely it would have been a fatal. It was lucky the train driver was very alert. There could have been a very bad outcome," Snr Sgt Dean said.
"Even if trains are going very slowly, vehicles tend to get dragged under them when they are hit.
"The train driver was very shaken, he understood the seriousness of what occurred."
The 45-year-old car driver was charged with drink driving.