CP Rail confirms three crew members dead in B.C. grain car derailment
Posted Feb 4, 2019 9:53 am.
Last Updated Feb 4, 2019 8:42 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
FIELD, B.C. – Three crew members of a Canadian Pacific freight train have died in a derailment near the Alberta-British Columbia border. The crew is believed to be based out of Calgary.
The three-person crew included conductor Dylan Paradis, engineer Andrew Dockrell and trainee Daniel Waldenberger-Bulmer.
A spokesman with the railway confirmed the crew members died when the westbound freight jumped the tracks at about 1 a.m. MT near Field, B.C.
Salem Woodrow said there will be a full investigation to determine what caused the derailment.
British Columbia’s Environment Ministry confirmed between 30 and 40 grain cars are off the tracks
David Karn also said the ministry has been told the locomotive is in the Kicking Horse River.
He said the situation is being monitored and there is no immediate word of fuel or other contaminants entering the water.
The crew members were members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.
“Our hearts and our deepest condolences go out to the victims’ loved ones and co-workers. Our union and its 125,000 members stand with them in mourning,” said François Laporte, president of Teamsters Canada.
Eight railway workers have now died in Canada since November 2017. Investigations into these accidents are still ongoing.
“Today, our focus is on this accident as well as the victims’ friends and families. But moving forward, the government and the rail industry will have to recognize that something is wrong and change is needed. Eight workplace fatalities in a little over a year is not something that should be expected or accepted,” said Lyndon Isaack, president of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.
The TSB will be providing an update on the incident Tuesday in Calgary.
