A KwiRail driver suffered minor injuries this afternoon after a rock, thrown through the window of his locomotive, struck him in the face.
Acting Sergeant Carl Pedersen, of Oamaru, said the driver of the northbound freight train was struck in the face by a rock about 2.30pm at the rail crossing at Severn St, near the North Otago RSA building in Itchen St.
"The indication would be that some plonker has thrown a rock at him and hit him," he said.
"And plonker is probably a very kind term to the person, because it’s obviously potentially very, very serious over and above the injuries the person has sustained."
Police were notified about 2.50pm by St John who treated the driver at the railway station.
KiwiRail acting chief operations officer Henare Clarke the driver’s injuries were minor, but he was relieved as a precaution.
"We regard this incident as very serious," he said.
"Safety is our top priority. If an object was intentionally thrown at our locomotive it is completely unacceptable."
No other services were affected.
Police inquiries are continuing.
