14 July 2010

Rail Crossing in Olds Unsafe,
Says Grieving Widow

Highway 27 level crossing.

Olds Alberta - Drivers will continue to be injured or killed at train crossings in Olds unless improvements are made to make them safer, says the grieving widow of a man killed instantly by a train last week.
 
Valerie Pearson said too many people have been killed by trains at each of the three crossings in town and unless something is done, someone else will die.
 
Pearson's 56-year-old husband, Brian, was westbound in his pickup truck on 6 Jul 2010 when he collided with a northbound freight train near the intersection of Highway 27 and 50th Street.
 
"He was such a wonderful man and a train ripped him from all of our lives," said Pearson inside the bungalow she once shared with her husband of nine years.
 
It was sometime after 7 a.m. on a sunny day when Brian left the house to pick up some rental equipment for some outdoor renovations.
 
When Pearson left for work, the crew helping in their yard told her a train was blocking traffic because "something had happened."
 
She would find out, after going to the crash scene herself, that the heavily damaged red truck was her husband's and that the man she loved so dearly was gone. Pearson had never imagined she would meet someone again after being divorced 20 years earlier.
 
Then, she met the "great-looking" and kindhearted bachelor in his mid-40s, who would turn out to be a great family man to her children and their six grandchildren.
 
"We both said how lucky we were to find each other," said Pearson, tears welling up in her eyes. "We had 12 wonderful years together."
 
Pearson, 58, said her husband was a careful man who had travelled across the railway crossing countless times before.
 
She believes Brian didn't see the train coming because of the kind of injuries he sustained to his head upon impact. The medical examiner indicated there was probably no medical emergency prior to the collision.
 
After the crash, Brian's brothers had a look at the crossing on their own.
 
"His brothers looked individually and said, it's blocked, said Pearson, referring to the crossing's sightlines.
 
She has since visited the area several times and believes the crossing is "very unsafe."
 
While eastbound drivers will stop because the traffic light signals will turn red ahead of the railway crossing, and the crossing signs are visible, westbound drivers would have more trouble seeing the train, according to Pearson.
 
On the westbound side, the warning lights near the crossing arm are obstructed by a telephone pole and branches from an overgrown tree, Pearson said.
 
Plus, she said the overhead horizontal warning lights line up in one's field of vision with the traffic lights just west of the crossing.
 
The lights all turn red when a train is going through.
 
The building on the south side of the highway obstructs any view of a train coming through.
 
"It's very understandable that my husband didn't know the train was coming," said Pearson. "He was not a careless man."
 
She's not sure why he didn't see the crossing arm, which had come down. Olds RCMP say it appeared as though Brian had driven right through it and then was struck by the train.
 
Pearson is pushing for several changes, to move any obstructions like the pole and the tree, improve the warning system by possibly adding a second crossing arm, or flashing lights ahead of the intersection, and have the trains slow down.
 
She plans to circulate a petition in the community to seek changes to the railway crossing.
 
"It's a very high traffic area," Pearson said.
 
Olds RCMP Cpl. Troy Byrt said he knows of between three and five collisions involving trains in the last six years.
 
Kevin Hrysak, a spokesman with Canadian Pacific Railway, said the crossing area can be checked for any brush that's overgrown.
 
"But there's clear sightlines there," he said.
 
Hrysak added the crossing is safe.
 
"All the safety devices were fully automated and working when this happened," Hrysak said.
 
All three crossings meet Transport Canada regulations, he added.
 
Transport Canada spokeswoman Glyniss Hutchings said railway companies are responsible for ensuring they are in compliance with federal rules and regulations, including requirements for infrastructure, equipment, operations, and employee qualifications.
 
The federal department will review safety at the crossing as part of its regular follow-up after a collision.
 
"Transport Canada is aware of this tragic accident and our condolences go out the family," Hutchings said. "Transport Canada takes the safety of the Canadian rail system very seriously and is committed to ensuring that appropriate levels of safety are maintained."
 
The Transportation Safety Board is responsible for investigating collisions and will be following up.
 
Laura Tester.