Haydn Thomas Mansell: Great Southern man pleads not guilty to careless driving in fatal Redmond train crash

A Great Southern man accused of careless driving in a level crossing crash that killed his wife will fight the charge at trial, entering a plea of not guilty almost six months after he was charged. Haydn Thomas Mansell pleaded not guilty to careless driving causing death, grievous bodily harm or bodily harm in Albany Magistrates Court on Thursday. Reading the charge to Mr Mansell in court, Magistrate Rosemarie Myers said he was accused of being the driver of a Mitsubishi Triton ute that was involved in a crash in Redmond, in which Cailee Mansell was killed. The 40-year-old spoke only to confirm his plea of not guilty to the single charge against him. The Great Southern man was charged after his wife, Cailee Mansell, was killed in a crash at a level crossing in Redmond last July, when the car she and her family were in collided with a CBH grain train. At the time, police said a black Mitsubishi Triton driving east on Redmond-Hay River Road and a train travelling north collided about 2pm on July 16, 2025. The couple’s three children and Mr Mansell were treated for minor injuries after the horror crash. Mr Mansell’s lawyer Sonia Anderson said she was expecting a one-and-a-half to two-day trial as the defence would be drawing on evidence from expert witnesses. Police prosecutor Sgt Meagan Diver told the court the prosecution had a list of 21 witnesses, including its own experts, but expected some concessions to be made and the list to be narrowed down before Mr Mansell’s trial date. The case was set down for a two-day trial on October 27 and 28 in Albany Magistrates Court.