3 dead after Via train derails in Burlington
Posted February 26, 2012 3:58 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Three Via rail employees have died after a train derailed in Burlington, Ont., on Sunday afternoon.
“All of the victims were in the locomotive…it’s a very tragic incident,” Via spokeswoman Michelle Lamarche told CityNews
All three of the victims were engineers. There are always two engineers in the locomotive, officials said. The third victim was a trainee. They have not yet been identified, but officials said two of the victims were from the GTA.
The cause of the crash is not yet known. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating.
“The owner of the track, CN, is investigating; Via is investigating; local police are investigating…[eventually] we’ll know what happened,” Lamarche said.
There were 75 people on board the train travelling from Niagara Falls, Ont., to Toronto, when six cars jumped the tracks at King Road, near Highway 403 and the QEW, around 3:30 p.m.
One passenger said she initially thought the train was switching tracks.
“We started moving a little bit vigorously…all of a sudden, I heard some girl screaming, and I was flung to the side. I looked up and everyone was screaming,” Allison Von Wallis said.
Burlington, Ont., mayor Rick Goldring says the crash has caused minor damage to nearby buildings.
Of the 75 people on board, 45 passengers were injured — three of them seriously.
A 70-year-old woman and a 48-year-old man were taken to Hamilton General Hospital via air ambulance, Ornge confirms. A third adult was also taken to Hamilton General, while a child was taken to McMaster Children’s Hospital, spokesperson Heather Pullen told CityNews. Both hospitals are trauma centres.
Toronto paramedics took another 10 patients to Mississauga General Hospital with minor injuries.
By 7 p.m., the Red Cross had arrived and volunteers were handing out blankets and coffee. A crane was brought in to help clear out the debris.
A Hamilton General Hospital spokesperson told CityNews that while there was initially some concern about an explosion at the crash site, hospital staff are now standing down.
“Our ‘code orange’ alert has been lifted,” Jeff Valentin said just before 8 p.m.
When news of the crash first broke, worried family members rushed to the scene, CityNews producer Keeley Ciszek said.
“People are just running down the side streets. A number of people are also walking away from the scene, with their luggage, unscathed.”
Police are now asking those who left the scene to come back and provide statements.
If you’re looking for information about a specific passenger, call Via at 1-888-842-6141.
CityNews and 680News reporters provided real-time updates on the derailment via Twitter. View a transcript of that feed below:
