19 October 2005
Man Killed as Train Slams into Van
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Cochrane RCMP and CP Police were on scene last Thursday
investigating a collision between a CP freight train and a minivan on the Stoney Nation Reserve, just east
of Morley. A 23-year-old man was killed, and his 29-year-old female passenger
critically injured in the accident. Police are investigating how the minivan came to be stopped on the tracks,
and alcohol is believed to be a factor.
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Morley - One man is dead, a woman was sent to hospital in critical condition, and officials have
been left scratching their heads after a train-motor vehicle collision last Thursday just east of Morley.
Alcohol is believed to be a factor in the incident that saw a minivan that was stopped on the rails at an uncontrolled crossing
slammed into by an eastbound CP Rail freight train.
The 23-year-old driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead on the scene of the early morning incident, while the
29-year-old female passenger was airlifted by STARS to Foothills Hospital in critical, but stable condition. Both people
are residents of the Stoney Nation Reserve.
Cochrane RCMP Cpl. Perry Bielert said the engineer of the train did everything he could to prevent the accident, but was unable to stop
in time. In fact, RCMP officials said the train travelled over 1/4 mile before coming to a stop after colliding with the Mazda MPV.
"My understanding is they took all the appropriate measures but, unfortunately, you can’t stop a train on a dime," Bielert
said. "We are trying to figure out why the vehicle was stopped on the tracks."
He said the RCMP are continuing to investigate why the minivan was stopped on the tracks at 5:30 a.m. but said alcohol is a probable
factor due to beer cans found in the vehicle. But, he noted that still isn't a definitive answer as to why the van was stopped at
that point. "It could be the vehicle stalling, breaking down, or they could have been inebriated to the point where they didn't
know where they were stopped and passed out," he said. "It is impossible to tell at this juncture and we are going to
explore all possibilities to determine what happened," he said on the day of the accident.
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