Shock moment reckless cyclist smashes into closing barrier at Irish Rail crossing as 8 horrifying near-misses revealed

THIS is the shocking moment a reckless cyclist hit a level crossing barrier after putting their life at risk to save just minutes.

The biker was caught on CCTV getting a big surprise as a level crossing gate closed on to him, pushing him to the floor.

The cyclist had entered the crossing as the safety barriers were slamming shut, rather than simply waiting for them to open again.

It comes as Iarnrod Eireann revealed eight near miss moments and warned that unsafe crossings could lead to serious injury.

In another shocking clip, a different cyclist is seen trying to scoot over a level crossing as the barriers close.

But they didn’t make it in time, leading to them skidding into the shut gate on the other side of the crossing.

A particularly terrifying clip shows a coach sitting across another crossing while the barriers try to close.

Desperate to get off the live crossing as a train barrelled towards it, the driver accelerated.

In the process he ripped one of the barriers to the ground, which fell on to the live train track.

One clip shows a van driver piling straight through a closing barrier with no hesitation.

This leads to the gate being pulled to the ground and falling across both tracks.

Another moment in the video shared by Iarnrod Eireann shows a gang of three motorcyclists who forced their way through shut barriers.

Two people riding pillion hopped off to lift up the gates on each side open to allow the bikes through.

In another moment, the driver of a cement mixer can be seen realising they’ve left it too late to cross.

The driver reversed off the crossing as the barriers shut on them, damaging them in the process.

Another clip shows a pedestrian casually walking over a crossing and ducking under a closing gate.

Iarnrod Eireann said: “Trying to save some journey time could cost you: paying for damage or paying with injury.”

They added: “Always Use Level Crossings safely to protect you, other crossing users and rail users.”

The rail bosses are hosting education events at various crossings around the country in partnership with gardai and the RSA.