18 November 2010

Train Wreck in Downtown Cochrane Claims the Life of 80-Year-Old

Cochrane Alberta - Witnesses say it appears a driver froze in the path of a train and did nothing to avoid a crash Wednesday that proved fatal for the 80-year-old man.
 
Cochrane RCMP Cpl. Gary Fedrau said the man died from injuries sustained in the crash while trying to drive his minivan across the tracks on Fifth Avenue in Cochrane.
 
There were no passengers in the vehicle.
 
The eastbound train pushed the vehicle several hundred metres along the tracks before coming to rest.
 
Kell Tennant witnessed the collision from his vehicle and saw the rail crossing arms close around the vehicle.
 
Tennant said the driver looked "panicked and didn't go anywhere."
 
While the train's horns were blasting and the operator slammed on the brakes, the driver did nothing to move his vehicle out of its path.
 
Brad Herron.