- An Australian police vehicle flew off the road and into the railway tracks in west Sydney.
- The BMW Highway Patrol was following a motorcycle when the driver missed a roundabout.
- The crash was caught on CCTV footage, while the rider of the dirt bike fled the scene.
A police chase in New South Wales, Australia, took a turn for the worse—quite literally—when officers ended up stranded on train tracks after misjudging a roundabout while tailing a dirt bike. The incident unfolded on a Saturday in Sydney’s western suburbs.
It all started when police officers clocked a dirt bike exceeding the speed limit on the Great Western Highway in Minchinbury. Rather than letting the rider slip away, the officers initiated pursuit in their BMW 530d Highway Patrol sedan. However, as they soon discovered, wrangling a hefty BMW through suburban streets is no easy feat, especially when you’re up against an agile two-wheeler.
More: Police Officer Crashes Into Multiple Cars While Responding Without Lights Or Sirens
The chase wound through Mount Druitt, with the patrol car’s sirens and strobes flashing. But the driver of the BMW evidently underestimated the local road layout. Approaching the intersection of George St and Beams Ave, the officer failed to spot a roundabout in time. In a rather dramatic miscalculation, the car plowed through a fence, plunged into a ditch, and came to an undignified halt on the railway tracks.
The sedan ended up stranded, belly-down on the rails. Just moments later, a train roared past in the opposite direction, narrowly missing the immobilized BMW. Luck was on the officers’ side this time, as both emerged from the mishap with only minor injuries. But with just a split-second difference, the outcome could’ve been far worse.
Photos and videos of the aftermath shared by 7 News and on Reddit reveal extensive damage to the front end of the BMW 530d, which was removed from the spot quickly after the accident. The Highway Patrol vehicle will likely need more than a bumper replacement in order to get back on service, as it probably damaged its underbody from the fall.
As reported by local media, the police doesn’t acknowledge the pursuit in its official statement, mentioning that the officers were just following the motorcycle in an attempt to initiate a traffic stop. A Reddit commenter suggests there are three levels of authorization for chases in New South Wales, each with different rules of engagement.
Authorities are now looking for the rider who fled the scene, asking anyone with relevant information, dashcam footage, or CCTV footage, to come forward.
Photo: geddaradupya / Reddit
Can’t park there mate.
byu/geddaradupya inaustralia