An RCMP officer talks to another man on site of a cement truck versus Canadian Pacific freight train about five kilometres north of Wetaskiwin - 30 Nov 2011 Jerold Leblanc.

30 November 2011

Canadian Pacific Railway Freight Train Collides with Cement Truck

Wetaskiwin Alberta - Two Edmonton area Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway employees are off duty and being offered stress counselling after their train collided with a cement truck, just north of Wetaskiwin.
 
The accident at a marked railway crossing, about five kilometres north of Wetaskiwin, along side Highway 2A, took place at 9:45 a.m. 30 Nov 2011, according to CP spokesman Kevin Hrysak, based out of Calgary.
 
"These situations more so have a pretty drastic effect on our crews as well. They get shaken up in these types of instances. In this case, we have relieved them of duty, and offered them critical stress counselling. Everybody takes this type of situation differently, and we're thankful this didn't result in a fatality," explained Hrysak.
 
He said in the two years he's been in his present position, Hrysak couldn't recall a similar accident taking place in the area.
 
"It was our northbound freight train that did make contact with a cement truck at a south side road, just off of Highway 2A."
 
Wetaskiwin Ready Mix owns the cement truck involved in the collision.
 
"Right off the bat, no injuries to the CP employees," he said. "The cement truck driver did get out of the truck, but was taken to Edmonton with EMS (Emergency Medical Services) as a precaution."
 
Wetaskiwin Staff Sgt. Gary Rhodes told the Times that the cement truck driver did sustain injuries, but he did not know the extent of those injuries. Rhodes did add, however, that the driver was transported to an Edmonton hospital.
 
From what he was told, Hrysak said the cement truck paralleled Highway 2A, driving northward, and then right at the moment, turned on the hillside road and "made contact with our train.
 
"I'm not sure what was leading up to that situation, if it was undue care and attention, you'll have to get a comment from the RCMP on that," said Hrysak.
 
"There was no derailment in that regards, no cars (off the tracks)," said Hrysak of the more than three dozens cars the engine was pulling at the time of the accident.
 
"There's a little bit of damage to our lead locomotives," he said, but added he didn't think there was any damage to the tracks themselves.
 
Hrysak said the train, pulling mix commodities, was travelling on the secondary rail route that runs from Red Deer to Edmonton.
 
He pointed out that CP officials were in the process of restoring the line, which was expected to be open about five hours after the collision took place.
 
The railway intersection is marked with only crossbucks, which is a traffic sign for level railway crossings, and not signal lights or a traffic arm.
 
"This generally donates a rural road crossing, so not a common road," said Hrysak.
 
"These types of crossings are normally for, obviously, rural crossings, farmers' crossing, stuff like that that doesn't normally get traffic or very little traffic," he explained.
 
Jerold LeBlanc.