(The Canadian Press circulated the following article by Jim MacDonald on February 1.)
MACKAY, ALTA. — A Via Rail passenger train was knocked off its tracks yesterday when a logging truck slammed into it broadside at a marked crossing west of Edmonton. There were no serious injuries in the 1:30 p.m. crash, 140 kilometres from Edmonton.
RCMP say the logging truck was trying to cross in front of the westbound train when the collision occurred.
“The truck hit the train,” Canadian National spokesperson Jim Feeny said. “It hit the baggage car right behind the locomotive.”
The Vancouver-bound train was carrying 86 passengers and 15 crew members, Andrews said.
Both locomotives and eight of the nine cars derailed. All the cars were upright, he said.
Witnesses said logs were strewn around the wreckage of the red logging truck at the level crossing.
Stephen Fowler, of Saint John, N.B., and his wife were in the dome car, the third car back from the locomotives.
“I was up in the sky car and there was a truck coming down the road and I said to my wife, ‘He’s not going to stop,’ and sure enough, he didn’t stop and all I saw was logs flying and it was just a miracle no one was hurt.”
Fowler said some logs came across the top of the car and one of them hit the window right in front of him.
“I figured one was going to come through the window.”
He said he was calm, as were most people on the train.
“I didn’t start to cry until a half-hour later . . . you didn’t have time to be scared. You could see the domino effect of the train. And you were just saying, ‘I hope it doesn’t reach me, I hope it doesn’t reach me.’ It reached us.”
It took emergency workers some time to extricate the logging truck driver from his cab, but his injuries — chest and head trauma — were “remarkably, not significant,” said Joe Acker, general manager of STARS air ambulance,
Acker said the man, in his mid-40s, was flown to an Edmonton hospital for tests. The man was in stable condition yesterday evening, an official said.
Via Rail spokesperson Peter McCarron praised the residents of the community and emergency officials for their quick response.
He said townspeople had all the passengers in the community hall within an hour of the crash and had plenty of food and coffee for them.
Feeny said the crossing was marked with lights and bells, which were operational at the time.
RCMP Cpl. Wayne Oakes said it was too early to say whether charges will be laid against the driver of the truck.
FOR INFORMATION
Via Rail toll-free number for relatives of passengers and crew is 1-877-747-0707.