A railway signaller had warned about the dangers of cars using a manual level crossing only hours before he was seriously injured, a court heard.

Doug Caddell emailed his boss at Network Rail on April 24, 2015 to report a car drove through the crossing at East Farleigh, near Maidstone, as he was closing the gates.

He made some suggestions to line manager Geoffrey Orman about how the crossing could be made safer.

But then at about 1.25pm that day a car struck the gates as Mr Cadell was closing them.

He was knocked to the ground and suffered two broken vertebrae in his neck. He was detained in hospital until May 9.

“He made good progress but continued to suffer with a number of health problems,” prosecutor William Davis told a jury at Maidstone Crown Court.

Network Rail is on trial accused of safety failures at the crossing.

The company denies contravening the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 between February 23, 2014 and April 25, 2015 by failing to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the health and safety risks to employees.

It also denies failing to discharge the duty imposed by the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 by failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of its employees.

“It is the prosecution case that Network Rail failed to conduct a suitable and sufficient risk assessment at East Farleigh and failed to implement suitable measures to protect its employees from the risk of harm to their health and safety and welfare,” said Mr Davis.

The crossing on the Medway Valley line between Maidstone East and Wateringbury was manned by four signallers on morning and evening shifts.

The gates were closed by staff when trains approached to stop traffic crossing the line. No audible warning devices were fitted at the time.

The line speed was 70mph with a 40mph limit over the crossing. The traffic speed leading to and over the crossing was 30mph.

East Farleigh marina was close to the crossing and attracted increased seasonal usage. It was heavily used during morning and evening rush hours.

The accident was captured on CCTV cameras from the nearby Victory pub.

Mr Davis said Mr Caddell joined Network Rail in 2003 and having worked at London Bridge and Ashford moved to the East Farleigh signal box in 2012.

Mr Caddell and other signallers at the crossing reported incidents with traffic when closing the gates were a common occurrence.

One, Anthony Murray, said he had not reported incidents as they were “just part of the working day”.

Shortly before the accident, he followed the normal sequence, leaving the signal box to close the gates to traffic.

“He remembered nothing about what followed until the ambulance crew arrived and he was taken to hospital,” said Mr Davis.

He was taken to King’s College Hospital in London for specialist treatment.

The car driver was prosecuted but he died shortly before his court hearing.

But the fact he may have been guilty of careless driving did not provide Network Rail with a defence, said the prosecutor.

Mr Davis said an error was made in a risk assessment in February 2014 in the usage figures by vehicles.

After the accident temporary traffic lights were installed, operating between 7am and 8pm. They were later replaced by permanent warning lights known as wig-wags.

Yellow box hatching was put on the crossing and full orange protective equipment was ordered for signallers.

The trial continues.