A person is fortunate to be alive after being hit by a prepare Tuesday morning in London, Ont.
Round 7:30 a.m. a prepare got here to a halt simply east of Third St. after blasting its horn.
“I saw a gentleman walking down the middle of the train tracks and unfortunately, I don’t think he heard the train,” mentioned Tara Soppet, who witnessed the incident.
“The train started honking its horn and he continued to walk down the train tracks with his back towards the train. He (the conductor) laid on the horn and then and you could hear him engage his brakes.”
That’s when the individual was struck.
‘Usually, they do like a quick little ‘toot toot’ to sort of get any individual’s response or get their consideration however this one was a really loud, lengthy horn,” mentioned Krista-Lee De Caluwe, who witnessed the incident from her dwelling close by.
A prepare is stopped on the tracks by 43 Shepherd Ave in London, Ont. after an individual was struck on Tuesday Jan. 7, 2025 (Supply: Krista-Lee De Caluwe)
“We’re used to hearing the train because the tracks are right there, but this one sounded different.”
That’s when De Caluwe mentioned the prepare slowed down virtually to a cease.
“I watched the engineer get out of the train and walk down the tracks, and then he came back with a gentleman who was kind of stumbling a little bit,” she mentioned.
“He looked like maybe he had been hurt and then shortly after we saw the police officers come.”
London Police mentioned the person suffered minor accidents, and the investigation is now being dealt with by CP Rail Police.
London Police shut down the rail crossing at Third St. in London, Ont. after an individual was struck by a prepare on Tuesday Jan. 7, 2025 (Supply: Tara Soppet)
CPKC spokesperson Terry Cunha confirmed to “a train made contact with a person this morning along the tracks, and the incident is under investigation.”
“We are seeing a relatively disturbing spike over the five-year historical average of trespassing onto railway properties across the country,” mentioned Chris Day, nationwide director of Operation Life Saver Canada (OLSC).
Day mentioned there was three foremost explanation why they’re seeing that enhance.
“The first is young people thrill seeking in terms of feeding their socials, by actually trying to train surf,” mentioned Day.
A CP Rail prepare comes down the tracks close to the place an individual was struck on Tuesday Jan. 7, 2025 (Brent Lale/ London)
“Another thing we’re seeing is a mental health issue that people have frankly chosen to try and commit suicide by rail. The third is there are encampments along railway lines that have popped up as a result of the affordability and cost of living crisis.”
OLSC mentioned staying protected is straightforward: simply keep off the tracks.
“Rail safety is a shared responsibility,” added Day.
“Don’t cut along or cut across a track for a short cut. Don’t walk along a railway line or use it as a trail. Don’t use your bike. Don’t hike or walk the dog along a railway track. Also, if you are around a railway property don’t have earbuds in because you can’t always hear the train coming.”
For Soppet who witnessed the incident, she hoped for a optimistic final result.
“The gentleman was sitting incoherent for a while, so I’m hoping for the best for him.”
