Aeroplanes having to make emergency landings on public roads isn’t new. Sometimes, it’s the only safe place to land when things go wrong, but it’s also best to avoid active railroad tracks, as new videos show. Police body-cam footage and a bystander’s video give a full, dramatic picture of a pilot being rescued from a crashed plane seconds before the plane is obliterated by an oncoming train.

Details about why the plane crashed are elusive, though local news reported that the plane crashed shortly after takeoff around 2 p.m. local time yesterday. It crashed at a railroad crossing in Los Angeles, California, with first responders having to pull the bloody man from the wreckage mere moments before a speeding train careens through the intersection, crashing into the plane and sending debris flying toward onlookers who had to flee to escape from being hit.

 

According to Reuters, the pilot was bloodied from the incident, but he only suffered minor injuries. He’s allegedly in stable condition with cuts and bruises after being taken to a regional trauma centre for treatment. The police body-cam footage shows officers were just feet away from the plane when the train barrelled through the intersection. If the police had been a few seconds slower getting to the man, it could have been much, much worse.

No other injuries have been reported to the incident, including train passengers. The quick-thinking first responders did great work rescuing the man, showing how dangerous trains can be once again. Then again, it’s not every day that one has to worry about a train crashing into an aeroplane, but it happens. You can check out the police body-cam footage here, which may be a bit graphic for some viewers, though it’s worth a watch. The entire situation could have gone quite differently.