22 December 2007
Senior Survives Race with CP Train
Indus Alberta - Officials say an elderly man who tried to
out-race a train at a rural crossing yesterday is lucky he'll be around to enjoy the holidays.
Police said the Calgary man, believed to be in his 80s, sped through a stop sign in a compact car, just west of the hamlet of Indus, 25
km east of Calgary, and wound up being clipped by an eastbound freight train, leaving him trapped in the vehicle.
Calgary EMS spokesman Ian McEwan said emergency crews rushed to the scene and had to remove the man from his car.
He was awake and alert when rescuers arrived.
"He had a cut on his head, but other than that he had no obvious injuries," he said.
"Usually, we see a different result after a collision with a vehicle like that - someone was watching out for him for sure."
He was taken to Foothills Hospital with non-life threatening injuries as a precaution, McEwan said.
The man was fortunate to escape in one piece after his run in with the train, which was moving at a regular speed of about 40 km/h, CP
Rail spokeswoman Breanne Feigel said.
"We're lucky in this case it wasn't a fatality," she said.
"It highlights the need for people to be very aware near crossings because it really isn't worth the risk."
Feigel said a freight train moving at full speed takes about 1,000 metres to come to a halt, leaving no chance of stopping if someone
tries to outrun it.
She said the rural crossing doesn't have arms, but is marked with flashing lights. Standard procedure for trains is to use lights and
whistles when approaching any crossing.
RCMP Sgt. Patrick Webb said police will investigate the incident when the man is released from hospital.
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